


It Had To Be You

by Millerfan_43



Category: The Royal Romance (Visual Novel)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Drama & Romance, F/M, Hospitalization, Intimacy, Near Death Experiences, Not Canon Compliant, Original Character Death(s), POV Third Person Omniscient, Sexual Content, Substance Abuse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-18
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-03 03:55:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 26,131
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24258529
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Millerfan_43/pseuds/Millerfan_43
Summary: It's a fortnight before the prince names his bride and a conflict of emotions changes the expected course of fate.How will this surprise affect the lives of the prince and his friends?***Updates will be made on an as and when basis, but I will try not to leave it too long between posts.I've rated it as mature because of the tags I have added. Please use your discretion when noting the tags as to whether you want to proceed with reading.Thank you.
Relationships: Drake Walker/Main Character (The Royal Romance), Hana Lee/Prince, Maxwell Beaumont/Original Character(s)
Comments: 7
Kudos: 11





	1. Chapter 1

Meghan wasn’t going to marry Ryder, she was confident of that. The rest of the court could say whatever they liked, but at the end of the day, their opinions didn’t matter. Her mind was made up and no one could change it. Romantic feelings just weren’t there for Ryder. The only problem was that she didn’t want to let the Beaumonts down. The thought made it difficult for her to follow her heart.  
As she made her way from her bedroom to the library, she bumped into Bertrand, a slight frown on his face, and a certain air about him.  
“Meghan. Just the person I wanted to see.”  
“Good afternoon, Bertrand. How can I help you?”  
“I was just hoping to check in with you, make sure you haven’t forgotten the importance of next week.”  
“Of course. You and Maxwell sponsored me for a reason.”  
“And your success is paramount. If you fail us, I don’t know how we will ever recover.”  
“But I can’t control if Ryder favours me or not. For all I know, he may love someone else.” She knew that wasn’t the case. The statement was more a projection of how she wished it could be.  
Bertrand scoffed. “Well, you better hope he doesn’t. Love is your only hope, after all. I know we can only expect so much from you, but I would have thought by now, you would be slightly less naive than when you first joined us.”  
“Sorry.” Meghan’s voice was quiet, the pressure of the whole thing beginning to lay heavily on her chest.  
“Just prove to me that by allowing Maxwell to bring a commoner back here, I haven’t made a regrettable mistake.” The venom in Bertrand’s tone, like poison in her veins, caused anxiety to seize Meghan. He made it clear that he still viewed her as below him.  
“I’ll do my best.”  
“No, Meghan. You will succeed. Think of everyone your failure would affect.” Bertrand looked thoughtful, a look Meghan had learnt that didn’t often end positively. “You and Maxwell are close, no?”  
“We are, yes.”  
“Then I can’t imagine you’d want to see his life as he knows it fall apart around him. I mean, to be able to keep the Beaumont estate afloat in the event of your failure, I’d have to cut Maxwell off financially. Even then, there’s no guarantee I could keep our current home afloat, so he’d have to find alternative accommodation. Learn how to fend for himself for once.”  
“Surely it wouldn’t get so bad.” Meghan knew, of course, that Maxwell was more than capable of looking after himself, but Bertrand was doing a good job of getting in her head.  
“May I suggest, Meghan, that you keep quiet on matters you know nothing about.” Bertrand began to walk away. “Do not let us down.” He called back, his tone smug.  
Meghan stood, feeling overwhelmed and on the brink of tears. She had to get some space, air. She needed to be able to breathe. As a feeling of panic began to grab at her heart, she started for the open space of the palace grounds.  
She turned the corner and bumped straight into Drake. He gently took her by the shoulders.  
“Are you ok, Dawson?”  
“I need to get out.” Meghan wriggled from his grip. “I need air.” She ran outside. After a moments hesitation, Drake took off after her. By the time he had her in sight, she disappeared into the maze.  
“Dawson, wait!” Drake called after her.  
“Dawson, talk to me. Please.” He spoke, but had no idea where to aim his words.  
“I don’t think I can do this any more.” Her voice wasn’t strong, like Drake was used to hearing it. But he figured if he could still hear her, at least she was nearby, even if he couldn’t pinpoint her exact location.  
“Of course you can. I know you can.”  
“But I can’t deal with the pressure. If I don’t marry Ryder, I’ll ruin Maxwell’s life.”  
“No you won’t. I overheard some of what Bertrand said to you. Ignore him.” This whole situation reminded Drake why he could never fully get on with the Beaumonts. Maxwell was bearable on a good day, but even the thought of Bertrand riled him up.  
“I can’t! I don’t know what’s right any more!”  
“Follow your heart.” Drake kept his voice calm, hoping it would help settle Meghan.  
“I wish I could, I really do. But I can’t let people down.”  
“Dawson, trust me. No one that matters will feel any differently about you. Don’t let your kindness ruin your happiness.” As he turned in the maze, he found himself in the center, face to face with Meghan. Drake admired the fact that she was a natural beauty. She looked stunning at the events where she was dressed up, but even now, in her denim shorts, plain white converse and summery top, Drake couldn’t take his eyes off her. But in this moment, there was something different about her. “I know it’s scary and I know you feel out of place, more so after what Bertrand said than before, but it’s all going to be ok.”  
“It doesn’t feel like it right now.” He could see in her eyes the struggle she was battling. She sounded almost broken. Then he realised what was so different about her. She looked vulnerable and it scared him. He’d seen it in his sister and he hadn’t been able to help her. He’d be damned if he was going to let the same thing happen to Meghan.  
“I know. But trust me, it will be ok. Whatever happens, I will be there for you, no matter what. I promise you that.”  
Meghan looked at Drake for a moment, a silence falling over the pair as she tried to formulate what she wanted to say.  
“Why are you always there for me?”  
“Why wouldn’t I be? Sure, it’s partly for Ryder, but Dawson, I care about you.”  
“I care about you too.”  
That much Drake knew. Their friendship had grown a lot since Meghan had first arrived. He wished it was more than just friendship, although he scolded himself for thinking it. As usual, he pushed the thought to the back of his mind. This was all for Ryder, Meghan was here for Ryder.  
“I’ll do my very best to not let you get hurt and to make sure you are happy. You’re not alone in any of this.”  
“You have a way of always making me smile, Drake. Thank you for looking out for me.”  
“You don’t have to thank me.”  
Meghan sat on the bench that rested against the central hedge and motioned for Drake to join her. For a couple of minutes, they sat in a comfortable silence, until Drake cleared his throat, suddenly feeling nervous. Before he could think about what he wanted to say, it came out automatically.  
“I wish you weren’t in the running to be Ryder’s bride.”  
Meghan looked Drake straight in the eye. He crossed his arms across his chest as if to protect himself from whatever reaction she may have. The more he thought about what he’d said, the more he thought it hadn’t sounded right at all. He may have overstepped and that could cost him the friendship. So much for him keeping his feelings to himself.  
Time seemed to slow, making the wait for her response almost unbearable.  
“I wish I could have spent more time with this group as friends before all of this started. Then I would have known where my heart truly lay before I got to this point.”  
“Where does your heart lie?” Drake asked tentatively. He knew she wouldn’t say Ryder. If that was the case, then she wouldn’t be in the state she was, and she wouldn’t have made a comment like that.  
Meghan hesitated briefly, and took a deep breath before answering.  
“With you.”  
Drake felt his body relax, not realising he’d been holding such tension. He didn’t know how to react at first. He knew that it had taken Meghan a lot of courage to be honest with him and he owed her the same. He placed a hand on hers, sending a warm tingle through her body.  
“I feel the same way about you.” He gently squeezed her hand, before pulling her into a hug. She rested against his chest, something that felt so right, so natural to both of them, and he placed a kiss on top of her head.  
“Everything is going to be ok. I know this is a complicated situation for you, but I promise you that no matter how things go, I will always be there for you. You’ll never have to be alone.”  
Meghan pulled out of the hug and looked at Drake. The next thing they knew, the distance between them slowly closed, until their lips met. This moment felt perfect. It was how things were meant to be, but at the same time Drake’s thoughts were conflicting. He wanted this more than anything, but this was meant to be Ryder’s girl. His mind kept telling him that she wasn’t there for him, although she had said herself only moments ago, that it was him she wanted. But despite what his mind was telling him, he couldn’t resist allowing himself to indulge in the moment.  
Meghan ran her fingers through his hair as he wrapped his arms around her. He wanted to lock this moment into his memory. He had desired this for so long, and he was too aware that it may not be able to happen again. She draped her arms over his shoulders and with one hand on the back of his head, she pulled him deeper into the kiss. In that moment, she knew she had never joined Maxwell to try to win Ryder’s heart. Deep down, it had always been Drake.


	2. Chapter 2

The following week passed almost in a blur as final preparations were made for the ceremony where Ryder would name his bride, his future queen.  
There hadn’t been much time for Meghan to mingle with anyone other than Bertrand and Maxwell. Maxwell had been very apologetic when he’d found out about the talk Bertrand had given her the week before. He had reassured her that no matter the outcome, he would be perfectly fine, and that Bertrand should never have used him as a guilt tactic. She hadn’t mentioned anything to Maxwell about the events that had followed on from her conversation with Bertrand.

Since that day, she’d only seen Drake in passing, never long enough to speak to, but enough to share a smile.  
That was until this evening - the eve of the ceremony. All the ladies who were in the running and their respective sponsors would be there. It would be a small social event, compared to others, held in the main hall with a buffet dinner. It was a chance for everyone to unwind and enjoy themselves before the big night.  
Meghan wore a royal blue, fitted, off the shoulder, floor length dress, studded with a subtle scattering of diamanté. She had grown used to seeing herself in such outfits and she couldn’t deny that she loved dressing up. A fancy dress and bit of make up made her feel like a different woman, and definitely boosted her confidence. As she was smoothing her dress down in the mirror there was a gentle tap on the door.

“Hello, are you ready?” Hana asked as she popped her head around the door.

“Ready as I’ll ever be.” Meghan smiled at Hana. “You look amazing!”

Hana blushed slightly. “Thank you.” She had opted for a two piece baby blue dress; a satin capped shoulder top with a lacy floor length skirt.

“Ryder won’t be able to take his eyes off of you.”

“I think he will. Have you seen the way he looks at you?”

Meghan suddenly felt awkward, knowing that, if he really liked her as much as people had made out, she was potentially going to break his heart. Although she still didn’t know what the right thing to do was. But Drake had a point, she shouldn’t let her kindness ruin her happiness. She had to be true to herself, right?

As Hana and Meghan entered the hall, they were greeted by Maxwell.

“Well, don’t you two scrub up nicely.” He was looking very handsome in a black suit, with a tie and pocket square to match Meghan’s dress.

Meghan laughed. “Thanks Maxwell. This will be one thing I miss after all this is over, wearing beautiful dresses.”

“You won’t miss it if you win Ryder’s hand. You’ll have plenty of opportunity to dress up.” Maxwell gently placed a hand on Meghan’s arm and smiled at her.

“The next being your wedding, no doubt.” Hana smiled.

“If I’m Ryder’s bride, you’ll be my bridesmaid and you’ll have the most beautiful dress.”

“I’d like that.”

“If anyone knows about beautiful dresses, it’s you two ladies.” They hadn’t noticed Ryder walking over to them.

“Good evening, Ryder. How are you this evening?”

“All the better now you’re here.” He acknowledged both ladies by placing a light kiss on the back of their hands.

“The buffet is open, if you would both like to get yourselves something to eat. I’ll try and make time for each one of you this evening, but as you know, some of the ladies can be difficult to break away from.”

“Thank you, Ryder.”

As Ryder excused himself, Hana grabbed Meghan’s arm and pulled her towards the buffet.

“At least over here there’s someone we know will have time for us.”

Meghan looked up and saw Drake by the spread, a whiskey in hand. The table was filled with a variety of dishes. Meghan’s eye was particularly drawn to the savoury canapé spoons, smoked salmon and guacamole shots and Vietnamese chicken meatballs. As he saw them approaching, he stopped a passing waiter. Once they had joined him, he handed them each a glass of champagne from the tray, before thanking the waiter.

“It seems no one else got you a drink.”

“No, we were busy talking. I hadn’t even thought about a drink.” Hana said.

“Me neither, but I definitely need one.”

“Everything ok Dawson?”

“Yeah, I guess I’m just still feeling Bertrand’s words from last week.”

Drake looked at her, trying to read her eyes.

“Hana, would you excuse Meghan and I for a moment?”

“Of course.” Hana smiled and disappeared into the crowd.

“Is that really what’s wrong? I know when something’s up with you, Dawson.”

Meghan sighed. “Honestly, I just don’t know if I can do this.”

“Of course you can.”

“But I can’t lie to people. Even if I want to do the right thing by others, shouldn’t I put myself first? I don’t want to sound selfish, I know it probably sounds awful, but you said it yourself.”

“It’s not selfish. In this world, you have to look out for yourself. I learned that a long time ago, and in doing that, you’re not going to make everyone happy.”

“Then I have a big decision to make tonight.”

“Want to share?”

“Of course.” Meghan looked around to make sure they wouldn’t be overheard. “I’m going to pull out of the running.”

“What! Are you serious, Dawson?”

“Yes. I need to follow my heart. I want to marry for love.”

“And you don’t love Ryder.”

“Exactly. Don’t get me wrong, he means the world to me and I love him as a friend, but no more than that.”

“Does Maxwell know about this?”

“Not yet.”

“Just think about it before you make a definite decision. I don’t want you throwing all this away just because of one little thing last week.”

Meghan shook her head. “I wouldn’t say what happened last week was a ‘little thing’, Drake. I know what I want, and Ryder isn’t a part of that, surely that speaks for itself.”

“Right, let me just entertain your idea for a minute. Say you do pull out of the running, what’s the plan after that?”

“Follow my heart. Build a meaningful relationship with someone I truly love.” Meghan’s eyes met with Drake’s. She could see the cogs in his mind turning, realisation forming on his face.

He shook his head. “No Dawson. Bad idea.”

“But Drake, this, us, it would work.”

“I’m not doing this right now.” Drake turned and walked out of one of the sets of double doors that led to an outside balcony.

“Drake! Wait!” Meghan followed him.

“Dawson, please. Things have already gone too far. We should never have confessed our feelings for each other last week.”

“You either want me or you don’t.”

“No, don’t give me that Dawson,” he cut in before she could say any more. “You’re meant to be here for Ryder.”

Meghan sighed. “Yes, I am. But Drake, you’re different.”

“Yeah, he’s royal, I’m a commoner.”

“But I don’t see either of you for your social statuses. I see you both for the people you are. I care about Ryder, I do, but I care about you more.”

“This can’t happen Dawson. The Beaumont’s would be furious with us. I can take it, I’m below them anyway, but I don’t want you destroying your friendships. It’s one thing pulling out and then remaining single, but to pull out and date Ryder’s best friend? No.”

“I’d hardly call Bertrand and I friends, so that would be no loss, and I’m confident that Maxwell cares for me enough to respect my wishes.”

“And what about Ryder? He wants to marry you. I know nothings been announced yet, but mark my words, I can see his love for you in his eyes. I couldn’t do that to him. He’s my best friend.”

“But surely if he’s your best friend, you’d want what’s best for him.”

“Yeah, you. You’re best for him.”

“But I’m not! What’s best for him is someone who truly loves him, someone who isn’t dreaming of a life with his best friend! Please, Drake. Tell me you want us to be together.”

“I can’t.”

Their eyes met and Drake’s were filled with sadness.

“Yes, you can Drake.” Meghan stepped towards him. “Please, say it.”

Drake shook his head and looked down, automatically taking a step back. “No. I’m sorry, Dawson. I can’t and I won’t.”

With that he returned to the hall, leaving her alone, looking over the grounds. She felt sick in the pit of her stomach, dreading the events to come the next day. She walked back into the hall and quietly slipped away to her bedroom, keeping to herself for the rest of the night.


	3. Chapter 3

An hour had passed since Meghan had returned to her room. She had laid on the bed, her mind whirling and heavy with thoughts of Drake’s rejection. At first she had cried, but then anger and disappointment took over. She told herself to stop wallowing in those emotions, that she was stronger than that and that’s when a determination consumed her. She knew without doubt that whether or not anything happened between her and Drake, she still would not marry Ryder. There was no question what she had to do. She reached for her phone and quickly typed a message.

It seemed like only a couple of minutes had passed when there was a knock on the door. Meghan’s heart began to race and she took a deep breath trying to settle herself.  
“Hi,” she said, as she opened the door. “Thanks for coming.”  
“What’s going on?” Maxwell asked. He looked at Meghan, concerned when he noticed she was chewing on her bottom lip, something she seemed to do absent mindedly when something bothered her.  
Meghan signalled for him to sit on the bed, taking a place beside him. She hadn’t intended to sit down, but when her knees started shaking she thought it best. She bit her lip, hesitant to make her next move. She wrung her hands together, sweat forming on her palms. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before finally speaking.  
“I don’t know how to tell you this, but I can’t do tomorrow.”  
Maxwell laughed. “Sure you can! It’s natural to be nervous. It’s just cold feet.”  
“No Maxwell,” Meghan shook her head. “no it’s not. I’ve been thinking really hard about this, it’s been keeping me up at night for weeks.” She paused. “I can’t marry Ryder. I don’t want him to pick me tomorrow.”  
“But I thought you cared about him?”  
“I do! I care about him so much. I just don’t love him in that way, and it wouldn’t be fair for me to do that. He deserves to be truly loved.”  
Maxwell remained silent, closing his eyes for a brief moment.  
“I was scared to tell you, Maxwell. I know you and Bertrand sponsored me for a reason and I know I’m letting you both down.”  
Meghan glimpsed disappointment and a slight sadness in Maxwell’s eyes, just before he fixed his gaze firmly on the floor. He leant forwards, clasping his hands between his knees.  
Meghan hesitantly placed a hand on his leg.  
“Maxwell, your silence is scaring me. You have every right to hate me, and I wouldn’t blame you if you do, but you’re one of the best friends I have ever had and I don’t want to lose you.”  
After a moment, Maxwell finally looked up, meeting Meghan’s gaze.  
“I understand Meghan. And I don’t hate you for it. You’re a good friend. Ryder will be heart broken though. I had it under good authority that he was going to choose you tomorrow.” Maxwell stood up. “I’d better go and break the news to him.”  
“No,” Meghan said, quickly rising from the bed herself. “I think I should tell him myself. I at least owe him that. Just because I don’t love him, doesn’t mean I don’t care for him as a friend.”  
“Very well. Come with me, I’ll walk you to his room.”  
“Thank you.”  
“Oh, and Meghan.” Maxwell spoke as she opened the door.  
“Yes?” She asked, turning to him.  
“No matter what, we’re always good, ok? I can’t promise that Bertrand will react as well as I did to this news, but maybe he just won’t find out.” Maxwell winked at Meghan, giving her a reassuring smile and pulled her into a warm hug.  
“Thanks Maxwell. I hate to hurt Ryder, but I don’t want to lie to him.”  
“It will be ok.” Maxwell squeezed her hand supportively.

~ ~ ~

“Meghan? What are you doing here?” Ryder ushered her into his room.  
Meghan took a deep breath, her bottom lip quivered, before she regained her composure, but it didn’t go unnoticed by Ryder.  
“What’s the matter, Meghan?” He put his arm around her and guided her to sit down on the side of the bed. She took another deep breath to steady her nerves. Ryder went to hug her, but she pulled away and shook her head.  
“I’m sorry Ryder. I can’t do it. I can’t do tomorrow.”  
“I’m equally as nervous as you, but I promise you it will be ok.” Ryder smiled comfortingly at her.  
Meghan shook her head. “It’s not nerves.”  
Ryder looked at her. “Then what is it?”  
Meghan felt sick. Part of her wished she’d never started the conversation, but she knew it was one that needed to be had. She braced herself, trying to find the right words. “I’m so, so sorry. The last thing I want to do is hurt you, but I just don’t love you in the right way to justify marrying you. You deserve to be with someone who loves you as much as you love them. I know this whole situation may not make it seem like it, but I do care about you, I really do. I just had to be honest with you.”  
“I understand.” Ryder spoke steadily, but Meghan could see the hurt on his face. The corners of his mouth dropped, and tears pricked his eyes, but ever the professional, he didn’t let them fall, instead taking a deep breath and continuing. “But why? I thought this was it, that I’d found my person in you.”  
“I guess it is just something that became clearer to me as time went on. I’m so sorry, Ryder. I’d better let you rest. Good night.”  
He hugged Meghan tightly before letting her go, flashing her his handsome smile, although it didn’t quite reach his eyes.

~ ~ ~

“I’m sorry to call on you so late. I just needed to talk to someone.”  
“What’s the matter?” Drake asked as Ryder paced the room. “Not getting cold feet are you?”  
Ryder shook his head but said nothing.  
“Good, because there’s no need. We both know Meghan will make a great wife.”  
Ryder shook his head again. “No, no she won’t.”  
“What do you mean?” Drake frowned at his friend.  
“She’s pulled out of the running. She doesn’t feel that way about me.”  
“I can’t believe it.” Drake ran a hand through his hair. “I told her you love her!”  
“Wait,” Ryder cut him off. “she spoke to you about this?”  
Drake nodded, his jaw clenched.  
“What else did she say? Did she give a reason? Is there someone else?” Ryder stopped pacing, turning all his attention to his friend.  
For a moment, Drake avoided eye contact with Ryder, then he finally met his eye. “This is something you need to talk about with her.”  
“We’ve already spoken. But what I’m wondering is why she would feel the need to go to you before myself or even Maxwell.” Ryder eyed his friend suspiciously.  
“I’m sure she’s told you all there is to tell. We have common ground in the fact neither of us are from a noble house. Maybe that made her feel more comfortable speaking to me first.”  
Ryder said nothing for a brief moment. “You make a good point. Thank you for coming Drake. I think I need some time to myself, to contemplate my options.”  
Drake nodded and left the room. He had a mix of emotions. Guilt that he hadn’t told Ryder everything, although he was quite proud of his quick thinking, common ground comment. He didn’t like that fact that he had as good as lied to his best friend, and Meghan obviously hadn’t said anything about the two of them to Ryder either. He was glad that Meghan wasn’t going to be getting married to Ryder, but he’d dismissed that thought as quickly as it had come, it was selfish of him to think that way, knowing that the situation hurt his friend. He returned to his room with no idea what the next day would bring.

~ ~ ~

It was midnight when Meghan’s phone beeped into life. It was Ryder, asking to meet her urgently. She got up and dressed quickly before making her way to his room.  
“We need to talk.” He said as he signalled for her to enter the room. His tone matched the seriousness of his face.  
“What about?”  
“I assume you’ve spoken to Maxwell about your decision?”  
“Of course.”  
“Yet you spoke to Drake about it before either of us.”  
Her stomach flipped and her heart began to race.  
“Yes, I did.” She kept a steady tone, despite the anxiety that was begin to consume her.  
“Why?” Ryder looked at her, his arms crossed against his chest.  
“I needed to ask him something.”  
“What did you ask him?”  
“Ryder! I’m not going to disclose my private conversations to you.”  
He paused, closed his eyes and took a deep breath.  
“During your time here have you fallen for someone else?”  
Meghan bit her lip and looked down, unable to hide her feelings.  
“I’m sorry.”  
“Who is it?”  
“It doesn’t matter.” Meghan’s spoke quietly. “Nothing is going to come of it.”  
“It’s Maxwell, isn’t it?”  
“No!”  
“Then who? If it’s not Maxwell, who you spend the majority of your time with, then who is it?” There was a moment of silence. “I need to know!” Ryder clenched his jaw in frustration.  
“Fine.” Meghan raised her voice instinctively. “It’s Drake, ok?”  
Ryder looked confused. “Drake? But he never said anything.”  
“Why should he? As far as he’s concerned nothing will ever happen between us. He’s loyal to you, Ryder and he wouldn’t want to hurt you in such a way. I’m sorry.”  
Meghan could see the hurt etched into Ryder’s face.  
“So that’s why you spoke to him first?” His voice was quieter as he fought to keep it steady, but he didn’t look her in the eye.  
She nodded. “I wanted to be honest with him. But as I said, he wouldn’t do that to you.”  
Ryder remained silent, still not looking at Meghan.  
“I’m sorry. I’ll leave you with your thoughts. I don’t want to cause any more upset.” Meghan made her way to the door. She paused when she reached the door, turning back to face Ryder. “I know you probably don’t want to hear any more from me right now, but tomorrow, I think you should choose Hana. I know she’s not high in the running, but she’s beautiful, intelligent, talented and she will love you so much and make you so truly happy. You deserve that.” She paused. “Good night Ryder.”


	4. Chapter 4

The next evening, Meghan got ready, despite no longer being in the running. It had been agreed between herself and the three men, she would attend as planned. She put on her best dress, a red floor length number with off the shoulder straps, that flattered her curves and gave her confidence. God knows she needed all the confidence she could get for that night. It was strange getting ready, keeping this secret that was only between her and the three men, but she was happy to put on the act to avoid any speculation that could damage the reputations of Ryder and the Beaumonts.  
Maxwell greeted her outside her door ready to walk her to the grand hall. Maxwell was in a black suit, with a burgundy tie, waistcoat and pocket square, all of which were decorated with a subtle paisley pattern.  
“You look stunning.” He said with a smile.  
“Thank you, Maxwell.” Meghan smiled back at him.  
“I wonder who Ryder will choose.” Maxwell queried with genuine curiosity, as Meghan linked her arm through his.  
“I think you could be in for a surprise.”  
Maxwell looked at Meghan and raised an eyebrow. “Don’t tell me you’ve had a change of heart.”  
Meghan laughed. “Sorry, it won’t be me.”  
“Worth a shot.” Maxwell grinned.  
As Meghan entered the hall, Hana waved and made her way over. Maxwell left them together as he went to find Bertrand.  
“Meghan, you look amazing!” Hana gasped.  
“Thank you Hana. So do you.” Hana was also in red, Japanese cherry blossom embroidered on the left shoulder and down the centre of the dress where it became fishtailed.  
“Are you ready for the big announcement?” Hana’s eyes glinted with excitement.  
“I think we could be in for a surprise.”  
“What are you talking about? You’re sure to win Ryder’s hand!”  
“The competition isn’t over yet Hana.” Meghan grinned.  
“You’ll win. We all know it.”  
Meghan smiled. “Have you seen Drake here yet?”  
“Yeah, he’s standing at the back. He doesn’t seem to want to mix with anyone.”  
“Let’s go and see him.”  
“You should stay here. You don’t want to have to walk too far when Ryder calls your name.”  
Meghan laughed. “Fine. In that case, can you see if you get Drake to join us up front here?”  
“I’ll see what I can do.”

A few minutes later, Hana returned with Drake, who made sure he positioned himself with Hana between him and Meghan.  
“Hi Drake.” Meghan smiled at him, trying to keep things as normal as possible. She couldn’t help but notice how dashing he looked in his navy suit, crisp white shirt and light blue tie.  
“Dawson.” He acknowledged her but didn’t avert his gaze from the front of the room.  
His attitude didn’t go unnoticed by Hana, who gave Meghan a puzzled look, but before Meghan could say anything, their attention was drawn to Ryder, positioning himself in front of the crowd.  
“I would like to thank you all for your attendance over the past few months and your attendance here this evening. I am here, as you all know, to announce the name of my new bride, Cordonia’s Queen.”  
Hana squeezed Meghan’s hand supportively, and grinned. Drake’s attention was still glued to Ryder at the front of the room, as if he was trying to block out Meghan’s very presence.  
“It is with great pleasure,” Ryder began. “that I announce Hana Lee as my bride.”  
Hana dropped Meghan’s hand in shock and looked at her. “I don’t understand.”  
Meghan grinned at her and gave her a gentle nudge towards Ryder. “Go on.”  
As she walked away, Drake finally broke his gaze away from the front of the room and looked at Meghan. “That should be you.”  
“I told you, I don’t want it. I’m glad to see two of my greatest friends together. I know they’ll make each other very happy.”  
“I still can’t believe you pulled out of the running.” Drake’s tone was full of frustration.  
“I had to. I had to be honest with myself and with Ryder.” Meghan paused. “And also with you.”  
Drake clenched his jaw and looked away from Meghan momentarily. “Dawson, please don’t start this again.”  
“But Drake, I care for you so much. You mean the world to me. And you know you care about me too.” She kept her voice low, but everyone else in the room was engrossed in their applause and discussion about Ryder’s choice.  
“Don’t do this, Dawson.”  
“But I want you Drake. You, not Ryder, not anyone else. Just you.”  
“No Meghan! No.” It was a miracle no one else heard him as he slightly raised his voice. It was the first time that he had used Meghan’s first name, and it had been in anger. She didn’t know why, but the fact stabbed at her heart. Drake walked away from her, leaving her alone in the crowd, shocked and blinking back tears.

~ ~ ~

After a while, Hana bounded over to Meghan, closely followed by Ryder.  
“I can’t believe it Meghan! I’m so happy!” Hana beamed. “I am sorry that you missed out though.”  
“Oh no, Hana. I’m happy for you! I know that you and Ryder are made for each other.”  
“Hana!” Maxwell called her over, a big grin on his face.  
“See you later.” Hana grinned before rushing over to Maxwell.  
“Thank you Meghan.” Ryder said as he came to stand beside her.  
“What for?”  
“For advising me to choose Hana. I think you’re probably right. We could make each other happy. I’d set my heart on you and had overlooked anyone else’s potential. I’d been focussed only on how she would be politically. It will take time for any love to grow between us and I won’t lie to you, Meghan, I still care for you.” Meghan could see from the look in Ryder’s eyes that he was struggling to believe his own words.  
“It’s ok, Ryder. I still care for you too. I just hope we can be friends.”  
“Of course.” Ryder smiled. “Oh, and Meghan?”  
“Yes Ryder?”  
“I want you to know that I will support you and Drake. As much as you knew that Hana and I would make each other happy, I know that you and Drake can make each other very happy too.”  
“Thank you Ryder.” Meghan smiled at him as he walked away to find Hana, hiding the pain she was feeling. Ryder had given her his blessing to be with Drake, but Drake was too loyal to his friend to allow that to happen. He’d already made that much clear. She understood, she really did, but it didn’t make it any easier.  
She made her way into the grounds and sat on one of the swing benches, her back to the palace and all the festivities, not caring for the rain that had begun to fall. Her chest ached with the hurt she felt as a result of Ryder’s words, mixed with Drake’s dismissal, and she was powerless to stop the tears from quietly rolling down her cheeks.

~ ~ ~

Ryder found Drake by the bar, drink in hand.  
“Congratulations.” Drake handed Ryder a whiskey and gave him a firm pat on the shoulder.  
“Thank you.” Ryder nodded at Drake. “I actually wanted to speak to you for a moment, if I could.”  
“Of course.”  
“It’s about Meghan. Being completely honest with you, it really hurt when I found out that she no longer had feelings for me, because she had fallen for you. But then I took some time to think everything through and I realised how happy you are when she’s around.”  
“Ryder, even though you aren’t marrying Meghan, I want you to know that nothing is going to happen between us.”  
Ryder smiled and shook his head. “Be honest, how do you feel about her?”  
Drake was silent a moment, debating whether or not to be truthful.  
Ryder picked up on his friend’s uncertainty. “You don’t have to deny it to yourself any more, Drake. You’re my best friend. You’ve sacrificed enough for me over the years. I just want you to be happy.”  
Drake met Ryder’s eye and shook his head. “I love her, Ryder. I have for a while now. I knew she was something special when we first met her. I tried to keep my walls up, my way of preventing the inevitable, but the more time I spent with her, the more those walls came down and I looked forward to seeing her every day. But I knew it was selfish of me, she was meant to be yours.”  
Ryder smiled at Drake and pulled him into a hug. “Drake, I appreciate and respect your loyalty but you’re my best friend and I want you to have the happiness you deserve. If you choose to pursue a relationship with Meghan, I support you both fully.” He put his hand on Drake’s arm.  
Drake nodded. “Thank you, Ryder.”  
“I’d best get back to my duties, but thank you for taking the time to speak with me. I’ll see you later.” Ryder smiled before disappearing back into the crowd, leaving Drake at the bar, whiskey in one hand, the other hand in the pocket of his suit trousers.  
He certainly had a lot to think about. He’d wanted to be with Meghan for so long, but he’d known it could never happen because she was meant to marry his best friend. But then everything had changed. Ryder was marrying Hana, and Meghan was still available. He’d hurt her, he knew that, but Ryder’s words had changed something. Drake was free to pursue her and he wanted to, but he wasn’t sure if it was too soon, or if he’d pushed her away too much. He decided to go outside and clear his head.

~ ~ ~

“Dawson? What are you doing out here?” She hadn’t noticed the presence approaching from behind some time later.  
“I could ask you the same question.”  
Drake walked round to sit beside her on the bench, but kept a respectful distance between them.  
“Are you crying, Dawson?” The concern in his voice was noticeable. Despite the rain blending with her tears, he’d learnt to read her body language and could tell when she was upset. He supposed that happened when you loved someone.  
“What does it matter to you?” His suspicions were confirmed when she looked at him, the edges of her eyes red from crying.  
“What do you mean?” He sounded genuinely hurt.  
“I opened my heart to you. You and I both admitted to having feelings for each other last week. I was honest with you yesterday and you rejected me. Do you have any idea how much you hurt me?”  
“Of course I do.”  
“How could you possibly know?”  
”I didn’t want to reject you. I care for you as much as you care for me, so rejecting you killed me. But I had to. For Ryder.”  
Meghan shook her head. “Please, no more excuses Drake. You’ve already hurt me enough.”  
“And I’m here to make it up to you. I want to make things right.”  
“I know now that your loyalty to Ryder will always come first. That’s why this will never work.” Meghan got up and started walking further into the grounds.  
“Dawson, wait!” Drake got up and followed her, falling into step beside her. “Please believe me.”  
Meghan looked at him. “What’s with the sudden turn around?”  
Drake stopped and took Meghan’s hands in his, her heart instinctively filling with a warm tingle at his touch. She pulled her hands away, but he only took them in his once more. She turned her head away from him.  
“I care for you a lot Dawson. And it kills me to see you so sad, especially knowing that I’m the one who has caused your pain. Hell Meghan, I don’t just care for you…” He trailed off, knowing it was too soon to say what he wanted to. At the sound of Drake using her first name once again, she turned to face him.  
“And what about Ryder?”  
“He found me after the ceremony and gave me his blessing.”  
“Maybe I should question if I really want to be with someone who needs his best friend’s permission to make big life decisions.”  
“Did he not say anything to you?”  
“Of course he did! He gave me his blessing too. But the difference between us, Drake, is that I would have pursued you with or without Ryder’s blessing because my life and decisions are my own!”  
“But he’s done so much for me and my family in the past. I wasn’t going to just steal his girl.”  
“You wouldn’t be stealing his girl! I wasn’t going to marry him, he was always going to end up marrying someone else because of that, so I would have been free to start a relationship. Besides, I’m not anyone’s girl. I’m a grown ass woman who knows what she wants in life!”  
“And I know what I want in life!”  
“Yet you need blessing from a friend to pursue it. Are you sure that’s enough for you? Are you sure you don’t need him to sign a declaration? Make an announcement to the people?” Meghan’s questions dripped sarcasm. She sat down on a bench at the side of the path, mentally exhausted by the back and forth between them.  
“Come on Dawson, please don’t be like this.”  
Drake knelt on the ground in front of Meghan, once again taking her hands in his.  
“What are you doing? You’ll ruin your suit.”  
“Who cares about a suit.” Drake shrugged. “I love you. I want to make it all up to you. Please give me a chance.”  
“Please get up off of the ground.” Meghan gently pulled his hands for him to get up. His eyes were filled with sadness. He got up and sat back beside her, this time a little closer.  
“I want to make you happy Dawson.” His voice was softer than Meghan had ever heard before. “I have been awful the last couple of days and you don’t deserve that. I really want to make things right.” He put a hand to Meghan’s cheek and gently brushed a stray tear away. She noticed his own eyes were glistening with unshed tears. “I should never have walked away from you earlier. Last night, refusing to admit that I wanted us to be together - I didn’t mean that. Not really.”  
Meghan looked at him, unable to find the words to answer him.  
“Please say something, Dawson. The silence is killing me. Even if you say you don’t want me any more, that I’ve messed up…” Meghan cut him off, planting a soft kiss on his lips. Drake looked at her in shock.  
“So does this mean you still want us to be together?”  
Meghan laughed lightly. “Yes.”  
Drake let out a low chuckle. “I’m glad.” He looked at her for a moment longer, before leaning closer to her. His voice was low and husky. “Be mine?”  
“Always.” Meghan replied, her voice only just more than a whisper.


	5. Chapter 5

When Meghan and Drake eventually returned to the hall, many of the guests had already left. Hana and Maxwell were still on the dance floor, whilst Ryder looked on, laughing at the pair of them. When Hana noticed Drake and Meghan, she rushed over to them.  
“Where have you been? It’s pouring down, what were you doing outside?” She noticed Drake’s dirty knees where he had knelt in front of Meghan, and his shirt was almost see through from where he had used his suit jacket to protect Meghan from the rain as they walked back. “What have you been doing? Crawling around in the mud?” The slight slur in her speech didn’t go unnoticed.  
Drake chuckled. “Not quite.”  
Meghan looked at him, his wet, tousled hair making him look even more attractive to her.  
“It’s a long story.” She chipped in.  
“How about a slumber party in my room?” Hana suggested.  
“What, with Ryder? I don’t want to be a third wheel.” Meghan laughed.  
“Truth be told, I haven’t gotten my head around all of this yet. Not that I’m not happy, I had just written off my chances, so I’m still a little shocked.”  
Ryder stepped forward. “It’s been a busy day and a lot for us all to get our heads around. I’m happy for you to take as much time as you need, Hana. I’m not going to force you to do anything you are not ready for.”  
“Thank you, Ryder. I appreciate that.”  
“Well, I’ve got to dry off and freshen up, so I’ll see you all in the morning.” Drake said, making his way out of the hall.  
“Drake, Maxwell.” Drake stopped and turned to face Ryder. “Meet me in my room in a couple of hours. I think I’d like to follow Hana’s lead and spend some time with my friends.” He turned to Hana and Meghan. “You’ll know where to find us if you need us, otherwise, we’ll see you in the morning.”  
Ryder smiled at Hana before placing a warm, loving kiss on her lips. Her cheeks flushed and Meghan noticed how her eyes were filled with love, yet there was an awkwardness about Ryder.  
Meghan turned her gaze to Drake, who grinned at her and winked, before leaning in close. “I forgot to tell you how stunning you’re looking this evening.” He spoke so only Meghan could hear him. “Goodnight gorgeous.”  
Meghan tingled at the feel of his breath against her skin.  
“Goodnight Drake.”

~ ~ ~

“So,” Hana said, climbing onto the bed and crossing her legs, after changing into more comfortable clothing. “What just happened?”  
“Looks like you just found yourself engaged.”  
Hana rolled her eyes. “You know that’s not what I meant.”  
A smile played on Meghan’s lips as she thought back to her time with Drake.  
“Come on.” Hana’s eyes sparkled with excitement. “Spill. Why were you and Drake outside for so long?”  
“It’s a long story.”  
“As you said earlier. But we’ve got all night.”  
“Fine.” Meghan sighed. “You won’t let up until I tell you, will you?”  
“Oh, I’m sorry Meghan. It’s just earlier, Drake wouldn’t even look at you. But I won’t push you to tell me if you don’t want to.”  
Meghan sighed. “It’s ok. We’ve had a…complicated few days.” Meghan had no idea how to even start explaining the whole situation to Hana. She didn’t even know where to begin. “Where do you want me to start?”  
“Maybe first of all we can begin with you telling me why you’re not in my position right now. We both know you were Ryder’s top choice.”  
Meghan took a deep breath. “I pulled out of the running.”  
Hana looked at her, shocked. “When? How long have you known you wouldn’t be his bride?”  
“I pulled out last night. But I’ve known I didn’t want to marry Ryder for at least a couple of weeks now.”  
“I can’t help but feel like I’m just a consolation prize. And why choose me instead of Madeline or Olivia?”  
“You’re not a consolation prize, Hana, although I do understand why you would feel that way. I believe that you and Ryder are well suited to each other. It may take time to build the relationship, but it will work out. Olivia and Madeline wouldn’t have made Ryder happy, but you do and surely enjoying each other’s company is important in any relationship.”  
“You’re right.” Hana smiled. “I thought you loved him, as did everyone else here. It surprises me that the whole court was wrong.”  
“I know. And in a way I do love him, but only as a friend. Don’t get me wrong, when I first met him, I was attracted to him, but as time has gone on, the spark just hasn’t been there.”  
“And how does Drake tie into all of this?”  
Meghan shook her head and smiled. “The first time I met him, I never thought I’d like him, not even as a friend because he was so grumpy and damn well frustrating. You saw yourself how that changed and we bonded and we shared fun times together. Any opportunity that arose to spend time with him, I found impossible to resist. There are so many times that we would sneak off together to spend time alone, but we were always careful for you, Maxwell and especially Ryder, not to find out.” Meghan bit her lip. “I knew what I felt for him was more than I would ever feel for Ryder.”   
“So you pulled out of the running for Drake?”  
Meghan nodded. “It wasn’t easy. I was already having my doubts about my place in the competition. I had a run in with Bertrand last week and Drake was there for me. We ended up admitting our feelings for each other and kissed. That moment confirmed to me what I’ve known deep down for a long time.”  
Hana looked at Meghan, eyes wide. “So what was with all his avoidance earlier?”  
“He was angry with me for pulling out of the running. As much as I admire his loyalty to Ryder, the way he reacted hurt. Then Ryder came and gave me his blessing to pursue a relationship with Drake. I didn’t realise he had also done the same with him. Then Drake came to find me, we talked it out and here we are.” Meghan smiled.  
“One thing about Ryder, is that he’ll do the right thing. As much as Drake is loyal to him, Ryder wants what’s best for Drake too.”  
“Ryder’s a good man. It’s a shame it caused us to miss your party though.”  
“Let’s just continue the party here!” Hana said, taking Meghan’s phone off her and connecting it to the bluetooth speaker. She pressed shuffle and turned the music up loud, pouring them both a glass of champagne.  
A few songs in, Meghan spun around to find herself face to face with Maxwell.  
“Maxwell! What are you doing here?”  
“We heard the noise and I was sent to make sure everything was all right.”  
Meghan eyed him suspiciously, a half smile on her lips.  
“Ok, you got me. I heard music. Is there a party?”  
“Too right there’s a party! Join us!” Hana grabbed Maxwell’s hands pulling him into the middle of the room.

~ ~ ~

“So, how are things with you and Meghan?” Ryder asked Drake once he was sure Maxwell was out of earshot.  
“Good. I think I fixed things. I mean, she kissed me, so I guess that’s a good sign.”  
Ryder smiled. “I’m glad you made up. You both deserve to be happy together.”  
“We wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you.” Drake dropped his gaze to the ground, feeling guilty about the way things had panned out, knowing he had won the heart of the woman Ryder had loved.  
“I meant it earlier when I gave you my blessing to pursue Meghan. I can see how right you are for each other. I respect your loyalty to me, but I could never deny you the happiness you deserve.”  
“Thank you, Ryder.”  
Ryder slapped Drake on the shoulder and grinned at him. “I’m not really the one you should be thanking. Maxwell was the one who brought her back here. Now what do you say we go and find him? Make sure he’s not being too much of an annoyance.”  
Drake laughed. “Sounds like a plan.”


	6. Chapter 6

Ryder and Drake could hear the music before they even reached Hana’s room. When they reached the door they could make out the sound of giggling.  
“Sounds like we’re missing out.” Ryder said as he tapped on the door before walking in, followed by Drake.  
Maxwell was deep in the dancing zone as Meghan and Hana danced around him, champagne glasses in hand.  
“Come and join the party!” Hana shouted over the music, grabbing Ryder’s hands and dragging him into a clearer space, as she had done previously with Maxwell.  
Drake shut the door and grinned at Meghan.  
“So, who’s the DJ?”  
“I think you’ll find Hana stole my phone, so I guess you could say it’s a joint effort.”  
“Well, I guess I should join the dancing.”  
“Can I get you a drink first?” Meghan asked, walking over to Hana’s bedside table. She grinned at him as she produced a bottle of whiskey from behind her back. “I sneaked it from the bar, especially for you.”  
“Well, that was very kind of you Dawson. But how did you know you’d see me again this evening?”  
“Who’s to say I wasn’t going to just anonymously leave it outside your door?”  
“Well, however I was going to get it, I’ve got it now. Thank you.” He moved closer to Meghan, slipping one arm around her, taking the whiskey from her with the other hand. The way he looked at her turned her legs to jelly.  
The five friends danced the night away, laughing and drinking. It was easy during those times, when they were away from the spotlight and media scrutiny, to be able to fully let loose and enjoy themselves. It certainly did them all good to relax in each others company.  
Suddenly the party songs were replaced by a slower song. Drake looked deeply into Meghan’s eyes and leaned in close.  
“May I have this dance?”  
Meghan smiled at him. “Of course.”  
He wrapped one arm around her waist and pulled her flush to his chest, as they gently swayed to the music. He gently kissed the top of her head, before resting his chin there, continuing to sway together.  
Meghan had never felt so comfortable, so safe, in anyone else’s arms. It didn’t take long for them to feel like the only people in the room. Her heart felt so full and complete. She wanted to stay in Drake’s arms forever and he wished that the moment would never have to end. When the song finished, he held her a moment longer, committing it to memory.  
As they finally pulled away from each other, they realised that the others had stopped dancing, and were instead watching the two of them, smiling at them both.  
Drake cleared his throat. “Well, I guess we should let these two have their girl’s night back.”  
“Sounds fair enough to me. See you later.” Ryder leant down and planted a gentle kiss on Hana’s lips.  
Once the three men had left, Hana poured another glass of champagne for the two of them.  
“We might as well finish the bottle.” She smiled. “So, when are you and Drake going to make it official?”  
“Well, I guess when it comes to the group we are basically official now. But publicly, it might be best to wait a month or so, but not too close to your wedding day.”  
“My wedding day…” Hana looked thoughtful. “That seems crazy!” She laughed.  
“Well, you’d better get used to it, because it’s happening!”  
“Will you be my bridesmaid?”  
Meghan couldn’t hide her surprise, breaking out into a grin. “Hana, of course I’ll be your bridesmaid! Thank you for asking me!”  
“You’re my best friend. You’ve been so supportive to me this whole time. Of course I’d ask you!” She took a sip of champagne. “I don’t mean to bring our slumber party to a premature end, but Ryder and I decided we would quite like to spend tonight together. We’ve not really spent any time together just the two of us and neither of us feel like sleeping, so we thought we’d just talk instead.”  
“Of course! It’s natural that you would want to spend some time together to build that bond.”  
“I know, but I was nervous. I needed to get my head around the idea first.”  
“I understand. It’s a big change.”  
“Just a bit.” Hana laughed. “Why don’t you go and see Drake?” She asked, a glint in her eye.  
“Maybe.” Meghan couldn’t help but smile at the thought.

~ ~ ~

After Meghan left Hana at Ryder’s door, she carried on to Drake’s room. She felt nervous. He wasn’t expecting her and she didn’t want him to think she was needy. She didn’t want to put him off after all the trouble it had taken to be able to be with him in the first place. When she got to his door, she went to knock, but hesitated, unsure if seeing him was the right thing to do.

On the other side of the door, Drake was wondering if he should go and visit Meghan. Ryder had told him his and Hana’s plans to spend the night together, so he knew Meghan would be free. He put his hand on the handle, but hesitated. He didn’t want to rush anything, so instead he headed to bed.

As Meghan turned away from Drake’s door, she spotted Maxwell stood alone on the balcony.  
“You ok, Maxwell?” She asked as she approached him.  
He turned, surprised at the unexpected company. “Yeah, I’m fine, thanks.”  
“You sure? I’m happy to talk, or listen.”  
Maxwell smiled. “I guess I’m just coming down from the excitement of everything. Processing the new and unexpected events.” He paused. “Drake’s why you took yourself out of the running, isn’t he?”  
Meghan nodded. “I had to follow my heart. Admittedly when I pulled out, I didn’t know what would happen between me and Drake, but whether it had played out like this or not, I didn’t want Ryder to marry someone who didn’t truly love him. He deserves better than that.” Meghan looked down. “It’s not going to go down well with Bertrand when he finds out, is it?”  
Maxwell shrugged. “Let me deal with him. As far as he’ll be aware, you lost out to Hana. It wasn’t a likely outcome of course, but he won’t find out the truth from me. I’m just happy that you’re happy.”  
Meghan smiled. “Thank you Maxwell. You’re one of the best friends a girl could ask for.”  
“And I couldn’t ask for better friends.” He hugged her. “Thanks for coming to see me. Good night Meghan.”  
“Goodnight Maxwell.”  
After he’d disappeared indoors, Meghan went back to Drake’s door. This time she knocked without hesitation. A short time later, Drake answered, his hair tousled, just wearing his boxers.  
“I’m sorry, did I wake you?”  
“No, you’re good.” Meghan could tell from his bleary eyes that he was lying. “Come in.” He stepped aside, for her to come in, closing the door behind them both. “How was girl’s night?”  
“Fun while it lasted. I wasn’t sure whether I should come and see you or not.”  
“I’m glad you’re here.” Drake grinned, seemingly more awake. “After our dance, I didn’t want to let you go. In that moment, I knew how perfect this is. I’ve wanted this for a long time, but never expected luck, or whatever this is to be on my side.”  
Meghan shook her head. “Not luck. Love.” She smiled. “I never want to go back to not being with you.”  
“You’ll never have to. You make everything right, Meghan. I’d be stupid to let go of someone who loves me the way you do, even with all my flaws.”  
“None of us are perfect, Drake. But you are perfect for me.”  
Drake pulled Meghan into his warm embrace, kissing the top of her head.  
“Stay the night?”  
“I’d love to.”

Drake climbed under the covers while Meghan went into the bathroom to get ready. She removed her make up as best she could with a damp cotton pad. She never wore a lot of make up, only mascara, eye liner and something on her lips, but it always began to irritate her late at night. She neatened her hair, sprayed some breath freshener that was on the side of the sink and left the bathroom. When she returned, Drake caught his breath at her natural beauty. His heart began to pound and he felt a warmth in his cheeks as he pulled the duvet aside for her. He put his arm around her shoulders and she rested her head on his chest. The warmth of his skin against hers made her feel comfortable and secure. She closed her eyes, enjoying the moment, then tilted her head to look at him and grinned.  
She rolled onto her back and Drake held himself up on his elbow to look at her. His eyes were full of love as he studied her face. He thought she was beautiful, he always had. He kissed her gently on the lips, before moving his kisses down her neck, along her collar bone and down to her stomach, sending a shiver through her body. He traced his lips along the inner crease of her hip, causing her to jerk and gasp as she felt her arousal growing, before pushing himself back up, meeting her eye to once more take in her beauty.  
For a moment they just looked at each other, then Meghan lifted her hands, wrapping them around the back of his neck, pulling him into another passionate kiss.  
They rolled over so that Drake was laid on his back and Meghan was straddling him. He rubbed his hands down the sides of her body, resting them just above her hips.  
“Are you sure you’re ready for this?” Drake asked, his voice soft. He was excited, but he didn’t want Meghan to feel pressured.  
Meghan didn’t answer him verbally. She just grinned at him before kissing him once again and letting their bodies become entwined as one.  
Meghan gasped as Drake entered her, her eyelids fluttering as she tilted her head back with pleasure. Drake reached out for her, grabbing her breasts. The warmth of his hands on her silky skin sent a tingle through her body. She felt the muscles in her stomach ripple as she rhythmically lifted and lowered herself on top of him, slowly at first, but increasing in speed as her hunger for him increased. She leant forward, splaying her hands on his chest, her fingers finding their way to the smattering of hair across his chest.  
Drake moved his hands from her breasts to her head, tangling his fingers in her hair, tugging on it firmly but gently before pulling her close, kissing her hungrily. He could still faintly smell her perfume, powdery and sweet, a mix of vanilla, liquorice and pear. The smell would forever bring him back to this moment. He caught his breath with pleasure as Meghan clenched herself around his erection. She sat up and lowered herself once more, letting him in as deeply as she could. Her breathing hitched, becoming short and sharp, as Drake began to rub her clitoris with his thumb. She let out a gasp as her vision faded to black before falling upon him, burying her face in the crook of his neck as she reached her climax. Drake felt her orgasm pulsing around his erection, causing him to groan in pleasure. He felt a warmth spread throughout his body.  
“Meghan.” He moaned, his body tensing before he exploded in climax.

Afterwards they rolled apart, both breathless. They looked at each other, unable to keep the smiles from their faces. This was another moment Drake had to commit to memory. He couldn’t believe he, Drake Walker, the commoner, had got the girl. He never thought he’d be lucky enough to be with the woman he had loved from a far for the past few months, the woman who had brought him happiness and a new hope for his future. He never wanted to forget how happy he was right now.

~ ~ ~

A banging on the bedroom door, woke Drake and Meghan the next day.  
“Ok, ok. I’m coming.” Drake called as he tugged on his jeans and threw on a tee shirt before answering.  
“Hey!” Maxwell grinned at Drake.  
“Good morning Maxwell!” Meghan called from the bed.  
“Morning Meghan!”  
“What do you want, Maxwell?” Drake asked, irritated that his time with Meghan was being interrupted.  
“Ryder wants a chat with us over lunch at one o’clock.”  
“Ok, we’ll be there.”  
Maxwell eyed Drake. “You do realise it’s a quarter to one now, don’t you?”  
“Damn! Tell Ryder we’ll be right there.”  
“Sure thing. See you soon.”  
“See you soon, Maxy!” Meghan shouted her goodbye.  
Drake closed the door and started making his way to the closet.  
“Maxy?” He queried, raising an eyebrow at Meghan.  
She shrugged. “It just came out. Kind of suits him though.”  
Drake chuckled and shook his head slightly.

~ ~ ~

Hana caught Meghan’s eye as her and Drake walked into the dining room. She winked at Meghan, who couldn’t help but grin back at her friend.  
“Sorry we’re late.” Drake nodded to Ryder.  
“That’s quite all right. We all need a lie in from time to time.” Ryder smiled at Drake, knowingly.  
Drake, like Meghan before, couldn’t help but grin in return.  
“Anyway,” Ryder continued, once Meghan and Drake had taken their places at the table. “I wanted to see you all about mine and Hana’s wedding plans. Hana’s cousin, Sienna will be joining us nearer the time, to be a bridesmaid alongside Meghan. And it would be an honour to me, Maxwell and Drake, if you would both be my grooms men.”  
“Of course.”  
Maxwell grinned. “Yes! Absolutely! I’ll even organise another bachelors party, now you actually know your bride. Nothing huge, just the three of us. But it will definitely be fun!”  
“So long as there’s whiskey, I’m down.” Drake shrugged.

After lunch, Hana and Meghan went for a walk around the palace grounds.  
“As the guys are having a bachelor party, I’ll sort you out a bachelorette. Any ideas, what you’d like to do?”  
“That is your job, Meghan. I’m sure you’ll come up with something good!”  
“You’re not going to give me any hints?”  
Hana shook her head. “Nope. Don’t worry, I trust you completely.”  
“That is reassuring, yet also extremely pressuring.” Meghan laughed.  
“What I really want to know is what happened last night?” Hana raised an eyebrow.  
Meghan couldn’t help but smile at remembering her night with Drake.  
“You did it, didn’t you?”  
“Hana! You can’t ask me things like that!”  
“I can, and you know I will.” She grinned. “So..?”  
“It was perfect.” Meghan sighed with a smile as she bit her lip. Just thinking back to the moment made her heart swell with love and happiness.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning! This chapter includes miscarriage.

7

Three blissful months had passed, and it was time for the bachelor and bachelorette parties.  
Meghan and Hana were going for drinks at a local club owned by one of Ryder’s acquaintances, and Maxwell had planned drinks at the palace.  
Meghan wore an emerald green, floor length dress, that had one off the shoulder strap and a split from just above the knee. When she looked in the mirror she couldn’t help but smile at her reflection. She felt beautiful. Aside from meeting Drake and her new friends, the dressing up had been her favourite part of her experience at the palace, but tonight something just didn’t feel right.  
“You look amazing!” Hana said as Meghan emerged from the walk in closet. “Are you glad I made you buy it now?”  
Meghan plastered on a smile, trying to lift her mood. “I love it! It’s gorgeous.”  
“It will be strange tonight without the boys, but it’ll be so good to have a girl’s night. Why don’t you take a quick visit to Drake before we go? Show him what he’s got to look forward to when we get back!” Hana winked.  
Meghan laughed. “Sure. I won’t be long.”  
She knew she should be more excited about her night out, but she just wasn’t feeling it. She felt an anxious nausea forming in the pit of her stomach as she made her way to the room she shared with Drake.   
Meghan tapped gently on the door before letting herself in.  
“Wow,” Drake looked up as Meghan walked in. “You look beautiful!”  
“Thanks.” Meghan smiled, although it didn’t quite reach her eyes.  
“Hey Dawson, what’s up?” Drake walked over to her and wrapped her in a hug.  
She shook her head. “I don’t know. I can’t put my finger on it, I just don’t feel up to going out tonight. I know it sounds awful, but do you think there is any way I can get away with not going?”  
“Come on, I’m sure it’ll pass. You’re probably just feeling anxious because it’s something new. You’re used to your nights out being with me, Maxwell and Ryder, so being just the two of you, doing something that’s not an event for the nobility is going to be strange. But Hana’s been a really good friend to you from the beginning. She’s been there for you when you’ve needed her, and tonight is her night. You should go. It’ll be fine, I promise. And if you need me, all you have to do is call.”  
Meghan nodded. “You’re right. I’ll probably be fine once I get out and we start having fun. I’ll see you later. I love you.” She pushed herself up onto tiptoe and kissed Drake.  
“I love you too. Have fun.”

~ ~ ~

It took Meghan a few songs to warm up, but once she’d had a couple of drinks, she began to feel more relaxed. An hour in and she was finally genuinely enjoying herself and as the time passed she began to forget about the way she had been feeling prior to their night out.  
A few more songs in, she pulled Hana to the side of the dance floor.  
”Is everything ok, Meghan?” Hana asked.  
Meghan shook her head. “My stomach is really hurting, I’m cramping up. Do you mind if I get Drake to come and pick me up?”  
“Of course not. Come on, lets go to the bathroom so you can call him.” Hana linked her arm with Meghan and led her to the bathroom.  
“He’s not answering.” Meghan looked at Hana, tears brimming in her eyes.  
“It’s ok. We can try again in a minute. Why don’t you go to the toilet, and then you can try him again. And if you can’t get hold of him we can try Ryder.”  
Meghan nodded. “Ok.”  
She disappeared into the cubicle, locking the door behind her.  
“Oh my God.”  
Hana could hear the panic in Meghan’s voice. “What’s wrong?”  
“There’s so much blood. Something’s wrong, Hana.” Meghan was borderline hysterical  
“I’ll call Drake.”  
“Yes please. But I think we’re going to need an ambulance. Oh Hana, what’s happening?”  
“It’s ok. It’ll all be all right.” Hana tried to calm her friend as she called for an ambulance.

~ ~ ~

Meghan was sat in the hospital bed when Drake walked in. She looked up at him, her face streaked with tears.  
“I’m sorry I didn’t get to you sooner.”  
“Well maybe if you’d answered your phone, you would have.”  
“I’m sorry. Maxwell persuaded me that if it was important then you’d leave a message. It was a stupid mistake.”  
“Seriously? Are you not capable of speaking up for yourself? You knew I hadn’t been feeling well! You said I could call you if I wanted to come home, yet my call wasn’t important?”  
“I messed up.”  
“Yeah, you did.” Meghan glared at him.  
Drake sighed and sat on the edge of the bed. “What happened?”  
“I started cramping and bleeding heavily while I was out. I passed a clot. Turns out I was about 5 weeks pregnant and I lost our baby.” She couldn’t stop herself from breaking down once again.  
Drake closed his eyes briefly and let go of the breath he hadn’t realised he was holding. He moved closer to her and wrapped his arms around her, but she pulled away.  
“What’s wrong?”  
Meghan glared at Drake once again. “I knew something wasn’t right tonight, yet you made me go out. I should have listened to my instincts, not to you!”  
“I’m sorry, Dawson.” Drake sighed. “I would never intentionally put you in danger, especially if I knew you were carrying our child. Neither of us knew. I wish I’d told you to stay home tonight, but it wouldn’t have changed the outcome. Just know that I am sorry.” Drake spoke gently, hoping it would help calm Meghan.  
“At least I would have been somewhere familiar! And there would have been more chance of you actually being there when I needed you!”  
“I’m sorry Dawson! I’ll apologize as many times as I need to. Like I said, I messed up. I let you down. But I’m here now.”  
“And what good is that? It’s not bringing our baby back is it?”  
“I know I will never understand what it’s like for you, but we’re both going through this. We can deal with it together.”  
“Oh, you’re suffering too? Good for you, Drake! Do you know how much pain I went through? I wished so much that you were with me, to make me feel the tiniest bit safer when I didn’t know what was happening to me. And then having to be told that I’d lost our baby without you with me, I had no one to turn to. I might as well be single with that kind of support!”  
Drake caught his breath, taken aback by Meghan’s words. “I’m here to support you now, but apparently you don’t want it. You want to deal with it by yourself? Sure, go ahead. I’m out.”  
He’d spoken in anger, he hadn’t meant his words, but now they were out there and he couldn’t take them back. Meghan continued to glare at him, tears streaming down her face. He got up and walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning: this chapter involves the days after a miscarriage.

Just as Meghan was preparing to leave the hospital, there was a gentle knock on the door. She looked up to see Ryder. He smiled at her, his eyes full of warmth and care.  
“Is it ok for me to come in?” He asked, his voice soft.  
“Of course.” Meghan managed a half smile.  
“I’m so sorry about what has happened. I know I can never understand exactly what you are going through and I know there is nothing I can say to make things better, but please know that we are all here for you.” He pulled her into a hug. “Drake said you need a ride home, so I thought I’d come to keep you company.”  
“Thank you, Ryder, but I don’t feel like company at the moment.”  
“I understand. You don’t have to talk, I just don’t want you to have to be alone at a time like this.”  
Meghan smiled sadly at him. “I appreciate it.”

Halfway into the silent journey back to the palace, Ryder looked at Meghan. Her gaze was fixed straight in front of her, but he could see tears welling in her eyes. He reached out and took her hand in his, giving it a gentle squeeze. She turned to look at him and dissolved into tears. Ryder pulled her close, holding her as she sobbed.

~ ~ ~

When they arrived at the palace, Meghan went straight to her room, wanting to be alone. She went to the bathroom, removed her make up and put on some loose fitting pyjamas for comfort. She sat in bed, her back against the headboard and pulled the duvet around herself. Hugging her knees close, she once again began to cry. Her body ached more than it had ever done before.  
She didn’t know how much time had passed when there was a knock at the door and Maxwell walked in.  
“Hey. I wanted to come and see how you are. Ryder told me what happened. I am so sorry.”  
“Yeah, you should be.” Meghan glared at Maxwell.  
She noticed the shock and confusion on his face and took his silence as a chance to carry on.  
“When I really needed Drake, you managed to talk him into ignoring my call. He promised me that he’d come and get me if I needed him and you managed to persuade him that I wasn’t important. You’re meant to be my friend, Maxwell!”  
“I am your friend! I didn’t know you weren’t feeling well. I didn’t know you were pregnant!”  
“Neither did I, Maxwell. But guess what? It still hurts like hell when you lose a baby you didn’t know you were having. And the two people I trusted and thought I could rely on the most both let me down.”  
“Meghan, I am so sorry. If I could fix things, I would. You know I would never want to see you hurt. I know I can’t make things better, but just tell me what I can do to help you.”  
“You want to know the best thing you can do for me right now? Just leave me alone, Maxwell. And you can tell Drake to sleep in a different room tonight too.”  
“Drake’s not here.”  
“What do you mean he’s not here?”  
“He came back after he’d seen you at the hospital, packed a bag and left. He didn’t tell us where he was going.”  
Meghan clenched her jaw, trying to keep her emotions in check. She was exhausted from all the crying she had already done.   
“I’m done with today.” She shook her head. “Can you just leave me alone?”  
“You know where I am if you need me.”  
Meghan didn’t answer him, she just laid down in bed and pulled the duvet tight around herself as she let the tears silently fall.  
Maxwell stood in the doorway a moment longer. It wasn’t his fault, he knew that, but he still couldn’t help but feel guilty. Seeing her pale and exhausted, the light gone from her eyes worried him, but if she didn’t want him there, he wouldn’t push the matter.

~ ~ ~ 

Meghan hadn’t joined the others for dinner, so Maxwell had made sure a plate had been made up that he took to her.  
He knocked gently on the door before entering.   
“I didn’t want you to miss dinner, so I bought you a plate.”  
“I’m not hungry.” A voice came from the bundle of bed sheets.  
“You need to keep your strength up, Megs.”  
“For what? It’s not like I’ve got anyone else to feed any more.”  
“You still need to look after you though.”  
“I’m fine.”  
Maxwell hesitated. “I’ll leave it on the table for you in case you change your mind.”  
He placed it on the table as promised and left the room. He didn’t know what more he could do, and it pained him to know that he had played a part in hurting his friend and that there was nothing he could do about it.

~ ~ ~

Maxwell walked into one of the living areas of the palace after dropping the plate of food to Meghan.  
Hana looked up from her book and noticed the sullen look on Maxwell’s face.  
“Is everything ok, Maxwell?”  
Maxwell shook his head. “I feel guilty. I know what happened wasn’t my fault, and would still have happened if I hadn’t stopped Drake from answering Meghan’s call. I didn’t mean to cause her extra distress. I’m worried about worried about her. She didn’t want food, she doesn’t want company. The light has gone from her eyes. I just don’t know what to do.”  
“All we can do is make sure she knows we’re there for her.” Hana replied.  
“She knows.” Ryder added. “I think the best thing we can do for her right now is give her the space she needs and she’ll let us know when she’s ready to spend time with us again.”  
“Maybe you’re right, but I feel bad leaving her alone.”  
“I know, but if it’s what she wants, we need to respect that.”

~ ~ ~

The next day, Meghan kept to herself again. She just wanted time to grieve and process what had happened. She felt a little on edge, hoping no one would come visiting, but as the time passed with no knocks on the door, she felt more and more relieved.  
As the darkness of evening began to fall, her phone lit up with message notifications. She opened her phone, hoping to see a message from Drake, but instead she was met with a number of concerned messages from Maxwell and Hana.  
She should have known it was too good to be true that they would leave her in peace for a whole day. She shot a message back telling them she was fine, but just wanted to be left alone. She watched as the notification told her that the message had been read by them both, and after a couple of minutes of silence passed, she began to relax. Just as she put the phone back on the bedside table, her phone lit up with more message notifications. Meghan’s annoyance grew as she read the messages Maxwell and Hana had sent. She knew they meant well, but she couldn’t understand why they couldn’t leave her in peace as she had asked. She quickly typed out a message ‘Stop pushing! Leave me alone’ and hit send before throwing the phone across the room. It hit the wall, bouncing into the laundry basket. Once again she curled herself up under her duvet and cried.

Later that evening, there was a gentle knock on the door. Meghan ignored it, hoping that whoever it was would leave. Instead, the door creaked open and someone walked in, closing the door gently behind them.  
“Good evening, Meghan. I know you probably won’t eat it, but I’ve bought you a plate from dinner.”  
Recognising Ryder’s voice, she pulled the cover from over her head and sat up. “You’re right, but thank you.”  
He smiled at her sadly. “I don’t want to poke my nose in or push you, but I can’t help being worried about you.”  
Meghan smiled a half smile. “I know, and I appreciate that. I promise I’ll be sociable again once I start feeling better.”  
“I know you will.” Ryder smiled. “In the meantime, if you need anything, just call me.”  
“Thank you, Ryder.” Meghan smiled back as she watched him leave the room.

Ryder was concerned by how little Meghan had eaten. He’d taken the untouched plate from the previous evening back to the kitchen, and when he asked the staff they said she hadn’t requested anything for breakfast or lunch.  
As he walked out of the kitchen he was met by Drake, leant against the wall, looking sheepish.  
“Drake, you’re back.”  
Drake nodded silently. “Hopefully not too late to fix things with Meghan.”  
“I think she’ll need some time, but I also think you need each other right now. I’ll give you both the space you need, I’ll just tell you the same as I told Meghan, if you need anything, call me.” He gave Drake a firm pat on the arm.  
“Thanks Ryder.” He said, pulling his friend into a hug.

Drake felt nervous as he approached the room he shared with Meghan. He didn’t know what sort of reception he would get from her, he expected more anger and he deserved that. He’d regretted walking away from her as soon as he had done it, but the truth was he was stubborn and at that time too scared to go back. He’d already messed up once and he questioned whether he would be able to provide Meghan with what she needed, not that he knew what that was.  
He took a deep breath in an attempt to steady his nerves and knocked on the door before walking in.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning: baby loss

Meghan looked up as the door opened. When she saw Drake, she looked away with a slight roll of her eyes. “I thought you’d left.”  
Drake sighed. “I’m sorry, Meghan. For everything.” He walked over and sat on the end of the bed. “I’ve not dealt with any of this well. You need and deserve so much better. I’m sorry I walked away. I regretted it as soon as I did it, but I didn’t think you’d want me back. I was stupid.”  
Meghan turned to face him. “Yeah, you were. I needed you and you left me! But I owe you an apology too. I should never have said what I did about being single, and I am truly sorry for that.”  
“You have nothing to apologise for.” Drake placed a comforting hand on her lower leg over the duvet. “You had every right to react the way you did. I failed to support you when you needed me most and I will regret that for the rest of my life. I promise you, I will never let you down like that again.”  
“But I do need to apologise. I need to apologise to our baby, but I can’t. I let it down. I couldn’t keep it safe. I couldn’t bring it into the world. And I didn’t even know I was pregnant so I didn’t even get a chance to love it like I should have done. I must have done something wrong. If I’d have known, I would have taken more care. And I hate having to refer to the baby as ‘it’. It should be he, or she, but we’ll never know.” Meghan’s eyes were brimming with tears.  
Drake moved closer to her and gently placed a hand on her cheek, wiping a stray tear away with his thumb. “Listen, you haven’t failed anyone. You didn’t do anything wrong, I promise.”  
Meghan sniffed as she tried to hold back more tears. “Thank you for coming back.” Her voice barely louder than a whisper.  
“I will never leave you alone like that again, I promise. What can I do to help you?”  
“Just come to bed and hold me. I’ve missed laying in your arms.”  
“Of course.”  
Drake walked over to the door, locking it before returning to the bed, stripping down and getting in. He held his arm out and Meghan cuddled up beside him resting her head on his chest. He wrapped his arm around her, and feeling the safety of being back in his strong arms, Meghan couldn’t stop herself from crying. Drake held her tighter and tried to soothe her as best he could.

~ ~ ~

The previous night, Drake had checked into a local hotel, unsure what he should to do next. He knew for a fact he shouldn’t be sitting in a hotel room alone when Meghan needed him, but he’d made that decision, one he knew well enough was wrong, but it seemed too late now to go back.  
He’d ordered a bottle of whiskey on room service and had proceeded to knock back glass after glass, hoping to drown out his regret. Instead, the more he thought about how guilty he felt, the angrier he got at himself. He downed another whiskey, then, jaw clenched in frustration he flung the glass across the room and watched it hit the door, smashing into pieces.  
Just when he thought life was getting good, he’d managed to mess things up.  
He changed out of his clothes and got into bed. He thought sleep would help, but when he closed his eyes, all he could see was Meghan. He tried to clear his mind, but she was the only thing on his train of thought. He thought about how she was mourning their baby, going through one of the worst things that could happen to a woman and the one person who should be by her side, being her rock, had walked out on her. He opened his picture roll and looked through all the photos of him and Meghan together, from Ryder’s New York bachelor party up until only a few days previously. He didn’t know how he thought looking at photos would make things any better. Instead it just tortured him. He wanted everything to be how it had been before. He wanted to feel her laying next to him, her breath lightly tickling his back as she slept, an arm gently draped over his waist. He’d always entwine his fingers with hers when she fell asleep like that. Then sometimes they’d fall asleep the other way round, and he missed that too. Those nights of her being curled up as his little spoon, the scent of strawberry shampoo in her hair as he held her close. He wanted to be able to place a gentle kiss on her head, or wake her with kisses along her neck. He loved the way she woke up giggling when he did that, then he’d stop and she’d roll over to look in his eyes. He missed her smile. He missed everything about her.  
Suddenly all the grief he’d been holding in came to the surface and he couldn’t do anything to stop himself from breaking down.

~ ~ ~

The next morning, Meghan woke to the sound of the door closing. Her heart skipped a little, as anxiety teased her, making her think that maybe Drake had left her once again.  
“Morning beautiful.” Drake smiled at her. She relaxed a little, relieved that he was still there.  
“Morning. Where did you go?”  
“I took that plate of old food back to the kitchen. I know you don’t feel like eating right now, but will you try some breakfast with me?”  
Meghan nodded. “Let me just shower and get dressed.”  
“I can bring it to you if you’d rather stay here.”  
“No.” She shook her head. “I’d like to eat with the others. I need to speak to them if they’re about.”  
“I think Hana and Ryder are with the wedding planner, but Maxwell is around somewhere.”  
“Good. I feel like I was unfairly harsh on him.”  
“Well, while you get ready I’ll go and track him down. Maybe you can have breakfast together and I’ll find you later.”  
“Thank you, Drake.”  
“Oh, and I found your phone in the laundry basket.” He said, with a lopsided smile. “I replaced the screen protector.”  
Meghan smiled sheepishly. “I got a little annoyed.”  
“I could tell.” Drake chuckled as Meghan disappeared into the bathroom.

As he left the bedroom, he noticed Maxwell stood on the balcony.  
“Maxwell. Just the person I was coming to look for.”  
Maxwell turned round at the sound of his name, paling slightly when he saw Drake.  
“I’m really sorry for what happened, Drake. If you’re mad at me, I understand.”  
“I’m not mad at you, Maxwell. You did nothing wrong. I was just coming to look for you because Meghan wants to see you.”  
“Is she still mad?”  
Drake shook his head. “You’re good. She’s going to head down to breakfast, if you want to join her.”  
“I’ll meet her in the dining room.”

~ ~ ~

Meghan hesitated in the doorway when she saw Maxwell stood by the hot trolley.  
“Hey.”  
Maxwell turned to look at her and smiled. “What are you looking so nervous about?”  
She stepped into the dining room, giving Maxwell an unsure smile. “I’ve been really unfair to you the past couple days. I’m so sorry Maxy. I hope you can forgive me.”  
Maxwell walked over to her. “There is nothing to forgive, Megs. You’re hurting and you needed to vent that pain somewhere.”  
“But I shouldn’t have blamed you. Of course it wasn’t your fault. I guess it’s true what they say about taking things out on those closest to you. I’m sorry I accused you of letting me down when you’d done nothing wrong.”  
“Stop apologising, Megs. You’re my best friend, so you could have blamed me and hated me and I would have forever felt guilty, but whenever I thought you needed me, I’d still have come running.”  
Meghan looked at Maxwell, tears pooling in her eyes. She bit her lip. “You’re too good to me, Maxy. I don’t deserve you.”  
“Oh shush.” He smiled at her as he pulled her into a hug. “No matter where we are in the world, if you need me, I’ll be there. No matter what.”  
“Why are you and Drake so easily forgiving?”  
“Because we love you and you need us right now.”  
“Thank you, Maxy.”  
“How are you feeling now?” Maxwell asked as he pulled out of the hug.  
“It still hurts, my body still aches. But as much as I want to, I can’t let my life come to a complete standstill. I need a bit of normality to stop myself from getting stuck in the darkness.”  
“Anything I can do to help, just let me know.”  
Meghan smiled. “Let’s start with breakfast. I’d also like to throw Hana a party, as her night ended up getting cut short, but I’m not feeling up to it just yet.”  
“Well, when you are, I’ll be right here, ready to throw an amazing party.” Maxwell said, with a shimmy of his hips.  
Meghan laughed, much to Maxwell’s relief. All he wanted was to be able to make his friends happy, especially when they were hurting as much as she was.

~ ~ ~

After her nice, but small, breakfast with Maxwell, Meghan met Drake in the gardens.  
“How did it go?”  
Meghan smiled. “Maxwell was fine. I don’t know why I worried so much.”  
“It’s Maxwell, he adores you. He wouldn’t hold the past couple of days against you.”  
“I know.”  
Drake smiled at Meghan and put his arm around her shoulders. “Do you fancy a walk around the gardens? I don’t want you to overexert yourself, so I understand if you don’t feel up to it.”  
“No, I think it would be good to get some fresh air.”  
At first they walked in silence, content in each others company. After a while, Meghan broke the silence.  
“Do you think I’ll ever feel normal again? Or will there always be a hole where our baby should be?”  
Drake sighed. “I think there will always be a space that won’t be filled, but I think in time you’ll learn how to live with it. We both will. It’ll still hurt, but it won’t be this raw forever. Things will get more normal as quickly or as slowly as you want them to. Just know that I’m here to support you. I’m not going to push you to do anything. Everything in your own time.” Drake wrapped his arms around Meghan’s waist and kissed her gently on the forehead.  
“I don’t want to keep you waiting though. Intimacy is important.”  
“That is the last thing you need to worry about right now. Like I said, everything in your own time. You tell me when you’re ready, and not a moment sooner. I love you and that is enough for me.”  
“Thank you Drake. I love you too.”

~ ~ ~

As they approached the palace, Meghan saw Hana and Ryder by the door, saying their goodbyes to the wedding planner. Hana caught her eye and broke into a smile. She almost skipped down the steps as she made her way to greet her, Ryder following at a more normal pace.  
“Meghan! How are you feeling? I’m so sorry about what happened, and for the constant messaging.” She wrapped her arms around her friend.  
“I’m still adjusting, but it’s nice to be out of the bedroom. I’m sorry I closed myself off from you all.”  
“Don’t apologise. You’ve been through a lot and it would be wrong of us to expect you to be ok straight away.”  
“Thank you for understanding.”  
“Of course.”  
“I’m glad to see you up and about.” Ryder said, stepping forward, wrapping Meghan in a hug.  
“I’m lucky to have friends like you.”  
“We’re always here.”

~ ~ ~

That evening, Drake arranged to have dinner delivered to the room.  
“You don’t have to eat it all, so long as you eat something. I know I said everything in your own time, but I worry when you don’t eat.”  
Meghan smiled at Drake. “Thank you for taking care of me.”  
“I’m just doing what I should have done from the start, instead of walking away from you. I abandoned you. I wasn’t thinking and I was an idiot.”  
“Yeah, you were an idiot. But you came back and are making right, that’s the main thing.”  
“I hated myself for leaving. I could have lost you and if I had, I would have regretted it for the rest of my life.”  
Meghan smiled as she reached over, placing her hand over his. “But you didn’t lose me and we’ll get through this together.”  
Drake smiled back, with a sadness in his eyes, giving her hand a gentle squeeze.  
“Why did you forgive me so easily?”  
Meghan sighed. “I’m exhausted Drake and being angry at you would just have taken up more energy that I can’t give right now. Plus, I don’t want the negativity. I love you, I need you and I know what happened wasn’t done with malice.” She leant towards him, placing a gentle kiss on his lips.

~ ~ ~

The next morning, someone knocked gently on Drake’s bedroom door. Ryder stood the other side and handed him an envelope. Drake stood aside to let Ryder in.  
“A gift for you both.”  
“Thank you Ryder, but shouldn’t we be getting you a gift, seeing that you’re engaged to be married?” Meghan said as she walked over to Drake, linking her arm through his.  
Ryder laughed. “I wanted to do something for the two of you, so those are a pair of plane tickets to Texas. I thought a week at the Walker Ranch, just the two of you ,will give you a change to grieve properly together and most importantly, in private.”  
Sadness flashed across Meghan’s face at the reference to her loss, but she managed a smile. “Thank you Ryder. I appreciate you doing this for us.” She pulled him into a hug.  
“Your flight leaves this evening and you should land around lunchtime in Texas.”  
“Thank you, Ryder.” Drake smiled, giving his friend a firm pat on the shoulder.  
“I’ll leave you to prepare.” He smiled again before leaving the room.  
Meghan turned to Drake, her eyes sparkling. “I can’t wait to spend some time, just you and me at the ranch. I think Ryder is right, it will be good for us.”  
“And I’m going to make sure that this week is going to be a special one.” Drake said, looking into Meghan’s eyes, before leaning his head down to place a kiss lightly on her lips. “You start packing and I’ll make some plans.”  
Meghan smiled as Drake pulled out his phone, his brow knitted in concentration as he tapped away.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning: baby loss

When they reached the Walker ranch, they were greeted by Drake’s mother. She walked towards Drake, a big smile on her face and wrapped her arms around him in a hug.  
“It’s lovely to see you, Drake.”  
“You too, mom. This is Meghan.”  
“Hello Meghan. It’s nice to finally be able to meet the woman Drake has told me so much about.”  
Meghan blushed slightly. “It’s nice to meet you too, Mrs Walker.”  
“You can call me Bianca.” She smiled at Meghan and pulled her into a hug. “Ryder told me you would be coming, so I made a chocolate cake, you’re favourite.” She smiled at Drake.  
“Thanks mom.” Drake replied as the three of them disappeared into the house.

After taking their luggage to his room, Drake joined Meghan and Bianca at the kitchen table for lunch. Bianca had laid out a spread of salad, various meats, boiled eggs and bread and butter, amongst a few other small dishes.  
“So Meghan, you chose my boy over the prince.”  
Meghan smiled, her eyes drifting over to Drake. “I couldn’t lie to myself or anyone else about what I wanted.”  
Bianca smiled at her. “A strong-willed woman who knows what she wants. I like that.”  
Drake smiled at Meghan, pleased of his mother’s approval. They all helped to clear the table, then Bianca bought the chocolate cake over.  
“I used to make a chocolate cake every year for Drake’s birthday. I don’t suppose he’s told you when his birthday is?”  
“He tried to keep it a secret, but Ryder let slip on the day, so we all sneaked out of the palace. We went to a bar and I got to see his bucking bronco skills.”  
“Well, you must be something special if he didn’t put up a fight.”  
“He tried, but he soon gave in.”  
Bianca laughed.  
“I guess you just bring out the best in me.” Drake chimed in.  
“I don’t remember the last time I saw you this happy. Treat her right Drake, you don’t want to lose her.” Bianca said.  
“I know, mum. I don’t intend to.” He’d scared himself with how close he’d come to losing her already, he wasn’t going to make that mistake again. She made everything in his life right. He wasn’t just an add on to Ryder’s life any more. He finally felt like he could be his own person, with his own life, maybe even a life outside of the palace.

~ ~ ~

Drake had planned something different for each day. He’d told her that if there was anything she didn’t feel up to, all she had to do was say and they could do something else. Meghan appreciated it, but she wanted to at least try to get back to some normality, plus she preferred to be doing something, that way she wouldn’t get too lost in her grief.

On the Sunday, they’d driven to a nearby town, had a walk around and grabbed some dinner at a sport’s bar and grill. The following day they went to a zip line and adventure park, something that Meghan felt came more naturally to him than to her. She’d feared the zip line at first, the height making her feel dizzy. But with persuasion and encouragement from Drake, she’d gone for it, and she’d actually enjoyed it. Laughing as she rushed through the air, she felt a true freedom from the palace and the events of the past few months. It was the first time she had actually enjoyed herself since their loss. A part of her felt guilty for having fun so soon after what she had been through, but at the same time it felt good. She felt that here in Texas, she could embrace being her natural self, not having to censor herself to be what was expected from the noble houses. 

Drake woke early on the Wednesday morning, leaving Meghan sleeping. He went down to the kitchen and filled a large rucksack with a disposable barbecue, some food for a picnic, a telescope, a few bottles of water and some blankets for the evening. Once he’d finished packing, he started cooking breakfast for the two of them.  
Meghan came into the kitchen, rubbing her eyes, still a little sleepy from just waking up.  
“Something smells good down here.”  
Drake looked over and smiled. “Good morning, beautiful. I made us bacon and scrambled eggs for breakfast.”  
“Sounds lovely. What do you have planned for today?” Meghan asked, sliding onto a chair as Drake placed a plate down in front of her.  
“I thought we could explore the ranch together, have a swim in the river. I’ve packed us a barbecue and some food for later. I thought we could take the whole day, just you and me and no one else for miles.”  
A smile spread across Meghan’s face. “That sounds like my idea of a perfect day.”

~ ~ ~

They took a path to the left when they started on their walk to the river, which led them past the stables. Meghan looked to the field beyond and saw four horses.  
“Does your mom own all of them?”  
Drake looked at the horses and nodded. “She rescued them all. She has three Andalusians. See the black one furthest away from us? That’s Juliet. Then the grey with the black mane and lower legs, that’s Bronte. Legolas is the stallion. He’s a Perlino Andalusian. The forth horse, is a Cleaveland Bay. Her name’s Squid.”  
Meghan raised an eyebrow. “Squid?”  
“Mom let Maxwell name her when he visited with Ryder one time.”  
“I hope Maxwell never has to name a child.”  
Drake chuckled. “Squid Beaumont.”  
Meghan shook her head. “It doesn’t even sound that bad. Those poor future kids!”  
Drake put his arm around her shoulders. “Maybe I’ll take you out to ride one of them before we go home.”  
“I’d love to.”  
They continued their journey, eventually coming to a wild flower meadow.  
“If we walk along the edge here, we’ll come to the river, and there’s sufficient space just at the end of the meadow to set up the barbecue.”  
When they got to the spot, Drake spread a rug out for them to sit on, and pulled out a couple of towels before stripping down to his swimming trunks.  
“Want to join me for a dip in the river before we eat?”  
“Sure.” Meghan smiled, slipping out of her clothes to the bikini she’d put on underneath. The bottoms were a red and white stripe design with a faded blue top decorated with white stars.  
“Making sure we don’t forget you’re from America?” Drake chuckled.  
“I bought it to Cordonia so I’d have a little bit of home with me. I guess I brought a little bit of home back again.”  
“Do you think Cordonia could ever be your home?” Drake asked as he sank his shoulders under the water.  
“Maybe.” Meghan looked thoughtful. “I guess it depends what the future brings.”  
“And what do you want for the future?”  
“Are you sure this is a conversation you want to have? It’s not too soon after everything?” She asked as she waded into the river.  
Drake shrugged. “Why not? We’ve been through a lot already. I think we can handle talking about the future.”  
“You first. What are your dreams?”  
“I want to be a husband and I hope to one day have a family. But if I do have kids, I wouldn’t want them to feel like outsiders. Living my life at the palace, yet still being a commoner has been difficult and that hurt my parents. As you know, that’s why I stopped celebrating my birthday. I’ve fantasised about leading a normal life, a life away from the palace, but it’s never seemed like a realistic option.”  
Meghan put her hand on his arm. “I understand why you’d feel like that. Believe me there have been plenty of times I’ve wanted to go home since I arrived in Cordonia.”  
Drake smiled at her sympathetically. “What do you want your future to look like?”  
Meghan smiled at Drake. “I’d like to be married and have a family as well. And I definitely want you to be in it.”  
“That can be arranged.” He wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her up. She ducked her head down, to place a kiss on his lips and he kissed her back, leaning forward, before dunking her in the water.  
“Drake!” Meghan squealed. He laughed as she got to her feet and pouted at him. “I will get you back, it might not be today, it might not be tomorrow, but it will be done.”  
“I am so scared.” He replied sarcastically, winking at her before splashing water over her.  
“Drake!” Meghan glared at him, but couldn’t keep her straight face for long.  
“You’re cute when you pretend to be mad at me.”  
“You’re just lucky that this,” she said, indicating his whole body, “makes it near on impossible to remember why I’m meant to be mad.” She grinned.  
“I’ll have to try harder.”  
“Sure, if it’s a risk you’re willing to take.” Meghan winked at him.  
“Ok, you win.” He grinned at her, then laid back, floating in the water. When he closed his eyes, Meghan seized her opportunity, pushing his shoulders, dunking him under the water.  
He jumped up, wiping the water from his eyes. “Dawson!”  
“I’m sorry.” She said, sticking her tongue out at him.  
“Of course you are.” He tried to look annoyed, but the way her hair shone and her wet skin glistened under the sun, made it impossible for him to be annoyed. It just made him want her. But he never intended to get intimate out here, he just wanted quality time together. So, to give his mind slight gratification, he pulled her close, kissing her deeply.  
“I should dunk you more often if this is the reaction I get.” Meghan smiled.  
“I wouldn’t push your luck.” He kissed her again, and she felt him smile against her lips.

~ ~ ~

After their lunchtime barbecue, they went for a walk along the river. On the walk back to the spot they had set up, Drake collected sticks to build a camp fire. Once they were back and Drake had lit the fire, they sat down beside each other. He pulled a bag of marshmallows from the rucksack and stuck one each on a stick, handing one to Meghan.  
“Hold it over the flame, but not for long, otherwise you’ll destroy it.”  
Drake watched as Meghan stuck her stick over the flame, before beginning to toast his. Meghan looked at him, enjoying the way the flickering light from the fire made his features more prominent.  
“Oh!” She pulled her marshmallow away from flame quickly, but it was too late. She blew the flame out and looked at Drake. “I destroyed it.”  
Drake looked at her for a moment and laughed. “Here, have this one and tell me it’s not perfectly toasted.” He held his stick out to her.  
She took if from him, gently blowing on the marshmallow to cool it down, before biting into it. She closed her eyes and smiled as the warm gooieness filled her mouth.  
“That’s amazing.”  
“What can I say, I’m a professional marshmallow toaster.”  
“Is that your official palace job title?”  
“Damn, you’ve found out my top secret job!” He shot her a lopsided grin.  
Meghan laughed. “What do you actually do at the palace?”  
Drake shrugged. “I don’t have an official job title, it’s more an agreement between myself and Ryder. He gives me free accommodation, the freedom to treat the palace like my own home and money to cover any shopping I need or want to do. In return, I guess I’m his confidante, plus doing other jobs for him, like looking out for you.”  
“Because that job went well.” A small smile crept onto Meghan’s face.  
“It’s not my fault you were attracted to me. I never actively tried to make you fall for me.”  
“What can I say? I guess the heart wants what the heart wants.” Meghan shrugged.  
“Well, you won’t hear me complaining about it.” Drake grinned.

~ ~ ~

After a few more toasted marshmallows and a crash course in making the perfect s’mores, Drake grabbed the rucksack and pulled out his telescope and stand.  
“Do you have the same bag supplier as Mary Poppins or something?” Meghan laughed.  
“I just know how to pack effectively. You may laugh, but it’s a useful skill to have.” He replied as he put everything together.  
“Then from now on you can add official bag packer to you job title whenever we go on any trips.”  
“Yeah, I’m going to pass on that one. You seemed to have it all under control for this trip.” He winked at her. “We got lucky tonight. The sky is clearer than I expected so we should be able to see more stars.” He put his eye to the telescope and began to search the sky.  
Drake pointed out different constellations, first finding them himself, then getting Meghan to look through the telescope, pointing her in the right direction.  
They sat on the picnic blanket when they finished star gazing. Meghan looked at Drake and smiled. “Thank you so much for today. It’s been really special. I’m glad we had the chance to have this time together.”  
“So am I. And you don’t need to thank me. I’d do anything to prove to you how much you mean to me, how much I love you. I’m not going to risk losing you again, Dawson. I was an idiot to do so in the first place.”  
“We both made mistakes that day.”  
“But I left you when you needed me most. We lost a baby, Dawson. I should have been there for you. I should have been there to listen to you, to hold you.” Drake stopped, biting his lip as he dropped his gaze to the ground.  
Meghan put her hand on his arm. “Drake, you needed to be listened to and held too. I will always be here for you, whenever you need me.”  
“I missed you so much that night I left you alone. I missed holding you in my arms in bed. I missed waking you up with kisses. I missed hearing your giggle. I missed you. I kept thinking about you and our baby.” He smiled sadly and shook his head. “I stupidly thought that having Maxwell around would help you through. He cares for you so much, he’d do anything for you and I thought that would be enough. I always thought you should be with someone better than me. Like Maxwell.”  
Meghan shook her head. “You care for me too Drake. Even more than Maxwell does. I love him as a friend, but he’s not you. I couldn’t love anyone as much as I love you.”  
Drake smiled sadly. “When Ryder said you hadn’t been eating, I felt so guilty. If I’d stayed, maybe you wouldn’t have gotten like that.” His voice broke as he tried to hold back his emotions. “You were hurting and I’d abandoned you. No one would expect you to be fine.”  
“But you were hurting too, Drake. You did what you felt you needed to do. I’m sorry for the things I said that day. I was angry and hurting and projected that by taking it out on you, and then Maxwell and to an extent, Hana. We’re both adults and we dealt with the situation in our own ways. But I’m just glad you came back when you did.”  
“And I promise you I will never hurt you again. I’ll never leave you again. I’m yours. For life.”  
“I don’t doubt it.” Meghan smiled at him, standing on tiptoes to place a kiss on his lips. She pulled away, hesitating slightly before speaking. “Drake, I’m scared.”  
“What about?”  
“What if I can’t have children? What if, one day we try again and we lose it again?”  
“Dawson, there’s nothing I can say to put your mind at ease, other than that I will never pressure you to try for any more children, and if we do try and this happens again, I will be right there by your side.”  
Meghan sighed. “I’ve wondered every day who that little person would have become. Would they have looked like you? What parts of our personalities would they have inherited? But I’ll never know.” Her lip wobbled and Drake pulled her into his arms.  
“I’d love to have known what they’d have been like too, and it hurts really bad knowing that I’ll never find out. But whatever grief I’m feeling, I just don’t feel like I’m entitled to feel it as badly as you. I’ll never understand exactly how it feels for you and I need to be your rock. I’m sorry if I’m saying the wrong things.”  
“No, you’re not saying the wrong things. But you need to talk about it too. Talk to me. Tell me how you’re feeling. Tell me everything from that day to now. You need to be able to express your feelings.”  
Drake was silent for a while. He took a deep breath and shook his head. “When I got that call from Hana to say you were on the way to hospital I panicked. I kept asking myself, why did I make you go out? Why didn’t I just listen to you? It killed me seeing you so broken. And then when you told me what happened,” he paused, biting his lip, trying to hold back tears. “I felt like my world was crumbling. Our world was crumbling. Having a family is everything I want and to find out that the chance had been ripped away as soon as we found out we had it, it broke me. But I didn’t feel I could show it. I didn’t feel like I had the right to hurt as much as you. My coping mechanism in that moment was to retaliate to what you said. It was wrong. I knew that straight away. I tortured myself the night I left. I was supposed to be your rock. I was meant to be strong for you, but instead I was a coward, running away from the issue. When I came back, I was afraid. Afraid you’d reject me, tell me you didn’t need me any more. I never expected you to let me back so easily. It hurts me so much, losing our baby, hurting you, all of it. I let you down, I let our baby down. I messed up. I regret it so much, and that just adds to the hurt and it hurts so much.” He trailed off as he struggled to contain his emotions. Meghan moved herself to kneel beside him, pulling him into a hug as he finally broke down. She held him, tears filling her own eyes as he sobbed. She stroked his hair and kissed the top of his head as she tried her best to comfort him.  
After a while, he pulled out of the hug. “I should be being strong for you. I should be your rock.”  
Meghan shook her head, quickly wiping her own eyes dry. “No, neither of us have to be strong. We are each other’s rock, we support each other. You’re entitled to hurt just as much as me and I’d never expect you to hurt any less. I love you Drake.”  
He looked at her, his eyes still pooled with tears, and a sad smile. “I love you too, Dawson. And I want you to know that I’m really proud of you and how you’ve dealt with all this. You might not feel like it, but you’re stronger than you realise.”  
Meghan smiled at Drake, before leaning in and kissing him gently on the lips. “I’m only strong because you’ve been by my side. I wouldn’t be so strong without you.”

* * *

The next day, they went to a water park, before getting dinner on their way back to the ranch.  
On the Friday, their last full day in Texas, they took the day to relax. Drake followed through on his suggestion of taking a couple of the horses out for a ride. He rode Bronte and Meghan rode Squid. She got Drake to take a picture of her on Squid, before sending it to Maxwell.  
He messaged her back almost instantly.  
My little Squid! You look after her, Megs.  
Meghan laughed when she read it and messaged him back saying of course she would look after her and that she was looking forward to seeing him when they got back to the palace.  
I miss you xoxo came his reply.

* * *

Drake had made plans for the evening, taking Meghan to her first rodeo. She loved every minute of it, amazed at the cowboys’ abilities to stay on their animals.  
“They’re impressive but no where near as impressive as you were on your birthday.” Meghan grinned at Drake.  
“I highly doubt that.”  
Meghan leant in close to Drake, placing her hand on his groin. “Well, I thought it was sexy.” Her voice was low in his ear and he felt a tingle run though his as her warm breath tickled his skin.  
“Don’t tease me, Dawson.”  
“I’m not,” She looked at him from under her lashes and grinned, “I’ll prove it to you when we get back.”  
“You drive me crazy, Dawson. Would it be bad to leave now?”  
Meghan didn’t answer his, just took his hand and led him from his seat to the truck.  
As they drove back to the ranch, Meghan rubbed his leg, starting from his knee and slowly making her way up his thigh to his groin and gently brushing her fingers over his crotch.  
He groaned. “Dawson, I can’t drive like this.”  
“Then pull over.”  
“Dawson, please.”  
“I’m serious Drake. I can’t wait until we get to the ranch.”  
He pulled the truck over in a wooded area, just hidden from the roadside.  
Meghan hopped out and climbed into the bed of the truck.  
“Are you sure you want to do this here? Are you sure you’re ready to do this at all?” Drake asked as he climbed in.  
“As sure as I was about wanting to be with you.”  
Drake didn’t answer. He just pulled her close, kissing her deeply. She kissed him back hungrily, undoing his jeans, only pausing in their kisses to remove each other’s tops. She tugged his jeans and underpants off, shimmying out of her own, and straddled him, letting out a satisfied groan as she lowered herself onto him. She gasped as she continued lifting and lowering herself on him. She didn’t take her time, she was too hungry for him. She groaned and tightened around him as she reached orgasm. The tightening caused Drake to groan as he too came with her.  
Meghan gently lifted herself and laid down in the bed of the truck beside Drake.  
“I’m sorry that was so quick, I just needed you so bad.”  
Drake chuckled. “Don’t apologise, Dawson. You don’t know the amount of times I’ve wanted to drag you away for a quickie over the past few months.”  
Meghan propped herself up on her elbow, facing Drake. “Over the past few months? So all those times you were there for me, helping me out, you were fantasising about having a quickie?”  
“Give me some credit, Dawson. All those times I was there for you, making sure you were happy was always my top priority. But other times, seeing you at events, or those occasions where you’d slip out to spend time with me, those were the times when I’d think about how amazing it would be if I could take you in my arms, kiss you, please you. I never thought it would actually happen, I never thought you’d think of me the way I always thought of you.”  
“Drake, I’ve liked you since the beginning. Hell, the amount of times I wished I could have quit the whole thing there and then to be with you. Those kisses we shared, I loved them, I hoped they would happen every time we got some time alone, but even then I was never sure if you wanted us to be together. When we admitted our feelings for each other,” Meghan paused, a smile playing on her lips, “Drake, knowing there was a chance, that made me so happy.”  
“And then I messed that up by denying what I wanted.”  
“Whether or not you wanted us to be together, I was still going to pull out of that competition. I understood your loyalty to Ryder. You’re his best friend. It’s honourable that you would deny your own happiness for your friend, but I wasn’t prepared to live a lie, it wouldn’t be fair on anyone involved. But everything has worked out just fine.”  
Drake grinned. “Everything has worked out perfectly.”  
Meghan laid back in Drake’s arms and they looked up at the stars twinkling in the clear night sky.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No trigger warnings that I can think of.  
> There is sexual activity in this chapter, I will warn of that.  
> Sorry this is a short chapter!

The morning after they arrived back at the palace, Meghan visited Maxwell.  
“Megs!” Maxwell beamed as he opened the door and saw Meghan standing there. “Did you enjoy your trip?” He asked, pulling her into a hug.  
“It was lovely, thank you Maxwell. I think you’d have enjoyed some of the things we did, like the zip lining and the water park. You’ll have to come with us sometime.”  
“I would love to! And how is my little Squid?” They both walked over to the bed, Maxwell taking a seat leaning against the headboard with his legs stretched out in front of him and Meghan sat cross legged opposite him.  
“Squid is good! She’s such a lovely little horse. I did question why a horse would be called Squid but as soon as Drake said you were the one behind the name, it all made sense.” Meghan laughed.  
Maxwell shrugged. “What can I say? I was young.”  
“But you’d still have named her Squid even now wouldn’t you?”  
“Absolutely. Any place, any time, that’s my Squid. Always.”  
Meghan laughed and shook her head.  
“Anyway, how were things with Drake?”  
“They were good. We talked about the baby and our feelings. Quality time like that was good for us.”  
Maxwell nodded. “I’m glad things are good.” He hesitated a moment before carrying on. “I’m really sorry again for the part I played that night.”  
Meghan moved closer to him on the bed and took his hand, giving it a squeeze.  
“Oh Maxy, you don’t need to apologise. You know that.”  
“I know, I just sometimes feel guilty. I’m sure in time I’ll stop feeling the need to apologise.”  
Meghan smiled at him, before leaning in to give him a hug.

~ ~ ~

At lunch, Maxwell had suggested to the group that they get together for a small party. The occasion, he said, was to celebrate their friendship.  
After they got ready, Drake and Meghan made their way to the dining room to meet Ryder, Hana and Maxwell.  
“You ready to party Megs?” Maxwell asked, as they walked in.  
“Always!”  
Knowing she was still feeling vulnerable, Drake wrapped a strong arm around her waist and squeezed her close to him, kissing her on the side of her head, his silent way of letting her know he was there.  
Hana plugged her phone into the Bluetooth speaker and hit play, immediately beginning to dance and sing along. Ryder laughed, happy to see her enjoying herself.  
Meghan grabbed Maxwell’s hand and dragged him onto the space Hana had cleared as a makeshift dance floor.  
A few more songs in, Ryder and Drake finally joined the rest of the group.  
As the night went on, Hana was wearing herself out, dancing and singing like her life depended on it. Maxwell was practically bouncing off the walls.  
Hana squealed excitedly, as another song began to play.  
Drake leaned in close to Meghan. “Has she had too much sugar today?”  
Meghan laughed and elbowed him in the ribs. “Leave her alone, she’s happy.”  
“She won’t be when she wakes up with a hangover tomorrow.” Drake grinned.  
“Come on you, let’s dance.” Meghan grabbed his hand and dragged him onto the dance floor.  
A couple of songs later, the pace of the music changed to something slower. Drake pulled Meghan close and began to sway to the music.  
“I love this song.”  
“I know. That’s why I lined it up to play.”  
“You’re such a romantic deep down, aren’t you?” Meghan playfully stuck her tongue out at him and he responded by giving her bottom a gentle slap.  
“Just wait ‘til I get you back to our room.” He hadn’t, meant for the suggestion to slip out and he looked at her, reading her face for any uncertainty, or hesitation.  
“Do I have to?” Meghan slid her hands up the back of his shirt and pressed herself closer to him. “What do you say we head there now?”  
”Are you sure?” Drake asked, concern in his eyes.  
Meghan leaned into him. “Take me.” Her breath against his ear sent a tingle through him.  
Without hesitation, Drake took her hand and led her out of the room, before scooping her up in his arms and carrying her up the stairs to their room, softly dropping her on the bed, before closing and locking the door.  
Meghan could see the passion and want in Drake’s eyes as he returned to the bed. He stripped off his shirt and jeans and climbed onto the bed, holding himself up over Meghan. He lowered himself down, planting a trail of kisses down her neck and along her collar bone.  
“Oh Drake.” Meghan murmured as she began to grapple with her dress.  
“Here, let me help you.” Drake pulled her up into a seated position and began to lift the dress up over her head. She giggled as the kisses he trailed up the side of her body tickled her skin.  
He threw her dress to the floor, unclipped her bra with one hand and flung it across the room as he began to run circles around her nipples with his tongue.  
Meghan threw her head back in pleasure. “Oh God, Drake! Please. I want you. Now!” She gasped.  
He laid her back down and kissed between her breasts, down her stomach and along her hip line. He slipped his fingers under the band of her underwear, pulling it off before quickly discarding his own underwear as well.  
Once again, he held himself up over her, kissing her neck. She could feel him rubbing against her, hard and warm. She grabbed his hips and pulled them against her own as he kissed her deeply on the lips.  
He moved one hand down, gently guiding himself and she gasped with pleasure as he slipped inside.  
“Oh Drake.” She groaned as he thrust inside her, running her fingernails down his back. She gasped as her heart thudded hard in her chest.  
“Yes!” She called out as her breathing quickened and the feelings inside her intensified. She threw her arms out to the side, grabbing onto the bed and arching her back as her pleasure increased, before screaming out as they both came together.  
“Drake.” She said, breathlessly as he lowered himself onto her, burying his head in the crook of her neck as he caught his breath.  
As he pushed himself up to look at her, she raised a hand to push his hair from his face and kissed his slightly sweaty forehead.  
Meghan looked at him, lovingly. “Whatever did I do to deserve you?”  
Drake’s eyes took in her face. “You deserve the world, beautiful. I should be the one asking what I did to deserve you.”  
Meghan smiled at him. “You are you and that’s all I could ever want. You’re perfectly balanced. Strong yet soft, protective and romantic, determined but vulnerable. When I’m with you, I fear nothing. You make me feel so safe. Having you in my life makes me the luckiest woman in the world.”  
“I’d do anything for you, Dawson. You are everything to me. I love you.”  
“I love you too.”

~ ~ ~

The next morning, Hana grinned at Meghan and Drake as they joined her and Ryder for breakfast.  
“So, did you two have fun last night?” She raised an eyebrow.  
Meghan blushed and averted her eyes, a small smile creeping onto her lips.  
Drake cleared his throat. “So, how was the rest of the party?”  
“Put it this way, I’m surprised Hana is as chipper as she is this morning. I thought she’d be far more hungover. As for Maxwell, he still isn’t up yet, but judging from the way he was bouncing off the walls last night, I’d be surprised if he was as chipper as Hana.” Ryder explained.  
With that, Maxwell shuffled into the dining room, his hair a tousled mess. He raised his hand in a silent wave as he made his way to the table and took a seat beside Meghan.  
“Maxwell!” Hana squealed with a giggle as he winced at her pitch and volume, putting his head in his hands.  
“Aw, poor Maxy.” Meghan said, pouring him a black coffee and rubbing his back. “Forget this breakfast offering, let me make you something that will make you feel much better.”  
Meghan disappeared into the kitchen, grabbing some bacon and got to work frying it, whilst making some toast.  
A few minutes later, Meghan returned with a toasted bacon sandwich.  
“Mmm.” Maxwell closed his eyes with satisfaction, catching a sniff of the bacon. “I feel better already. Thanks Megs.”  
“No problem, my little dance machine.”  
Maxwell laughed before tucking in.  
“And don’t think I forgot about you.” Meghan handed Drake a toasted bacon sandwich as well.  
“Thank you.” He grinned. “What did I do to deserve this?”  
Meghan said nothing, just gave him a knowing wink. He flushed a little as Hana raised an eyebrow at them, with a grin.


	12. Chapter 12

It was a fortnight until Ryder and Hana’s wedding and her cousin had arrived to help with the preparations.  
“Everyone, this is Sienna.” Hana introduced her to Drake, Maxwell and Meghan as Ryder carted Sienna’s two suitcases through the door.  
“Hi Sienna, it’s lovely to meet you.” Meghan stepped forward, giving Sienna a welcome hug. She had similarities to Hana, although her hair was a shade darker and her body was more similar to Meghan’s shape than Hana’s slim frame.  
“Nice to meet you.” Drake extended a hand for Sienna to shake.  
As she turned to Maxwell, Meghan could see that he would need a gentle nudge. His eyes were drinking in her face, his cheeks ever so slightly on the rosy side.  
“This is Maxwell.” Meghan introduced him, breaking him out of the spell he seemed to be under.  
“Hello Maxwell.” Sienna smiled at him.  
“H-hi. Hey.” He stuttered, shaking her hand and awkwardly kissing her cheek. Meghan looked at Drake and they shared an amused smile as they noticed Maxwell’s cheeks flush.  
After introductions, Hana and Ryder showed Sienna up to her room. Meghan closed the distance between Maxwell and herself, giving him a nudge with her elbow.  
“Someone got a little crush?”  
“What? No!” Maxwell’s cheeks flushed again causing Drake and Meghan to laugh.  
“Well, for the record, I think you’d make a cute couple.”  
Maxwell said nothing, but Meghan noticed the hint of a smile playing on his lips.

~ ~ ~

The next morning, Hana, Sienna and Meghan went to try on the dresses that Hana had chosen.  
Hana’s dress was a strapless, mermaid gown with a delicate cherry blossom embroidered along the top of the dress and down one side, scattering out over the tail and train. It hugged her figure perfectly.  
“Hana, you look amazing!”  
“Ryder will be speechless.” Sienna said.  
Hana broke out into a big grin. “I hope so. Now, I’m going to change out of this and then I want to see you both in your bridesmaid dresses.”  
Sienna and Meghan modelled the bridesmaids dresses that Hana had chosen for them. She had chosen different styles, but in the same pink, that matched the cherry blossom embroidery on her own dress.  
Sienna’s dress was strapless, whereas Meghan’s had one shoulder strap. Hana’s eyes lit up when she saw them.  
“You two look amazing!” she gushed. “All these dresses are perfect. Today couldn’t have gone any better. Who fancies celebrating with some champagne? I know a beautiful bar a few doors down from here.”  
“Yes!” Meghan and Sienna chorused before the three of them fell into a fit of giggles.

~ ~ ~

A few glasses of champagne later, they were having a girly chat and a giggle.  
“So, Meghan. You will be walking down the aisle on Drake’s arm, if that’s ok.”  
“As in the gorgeous Drake Walker, who I also happen to be dating?” Meghan subconsciously bit her lip at the thought of him. “Of course it’s ok!”  
Hana giggled and turned to Sienna. “And you, my lovely cousin, will be walking with Maxwell.”  
Sienna’s cheeks flushed.  
“Only because I think he might have a bit of a crush on you.” Hana added.  
“You really think so?” Sienna’s eyes lit up. “Oh I do hope you’re right. Maxwell seems lovely and he’s quite nice to look at.”  
Hana squealed, clapping her hands together.  
“You two would look so cute together.” Meghan said.  
“Really?”  
“Definitely.” Meghan grinned as Sienna blushed.  
“I’ll talk to him. I think I’ve had too much champagne to make much sense of anything today, but at the same time, Dutch courage and all that.”

~ ~ ~

“Ok Maxwell. I wouldn’t normally open up to you about this kind of thing, but it involves Meghan and you know her pretty well.”  
“I’d say you know her fairly well too, seeing as you’re dating her.”  
“Well, yes, but I need an outside point of view and with her being at the dress fitting, now is the only time I’m really going to get to speak to you about it.” He looked at his phone. “Although saying that, they’ll probably be back soon, so I better make this quick.”  
Maxwell nodded. “Ok, hit me.” As soon as he said it, he cowered back briefly. “Not literally.”  
Drake laughed. “As tempting as it is...but Meghan would never forgive me.” He took a deep breath, wringing his hands together. “I want to propose to her and I want to get it right.”  
Maxwell jumped excitedly and clapped his hands together. “So many parties to plan! And yes, of course I’ll help you with the perfect proposal!” He looked thoughtful for a moment. “You want to get it right? Is it possible to get a proposal wrong?”  
Drake shrugged. “I don’t know, I’ve never proposed to anyone before.”  
“Neither have I.” Maxwell laughed. “But I guess as it’s Meghan, do it somewhere private, somewhere romantic.”  
Drake nodded, racking his brains for a place that fitted Maxwell’s description. “And how do I go about asking?”  
“I guess it will feel right in the moment. You’ll just know what to do. But there is the standard way. Take her hands, look deep into her eyes,” Maxwell acted out each action as he said it, in the middle of the dining room, using Drake as a stand in Meghan. “then get down on one knee and ask the all important question. Will you marry me?”  
At that moment they both became aware of another presence in the room. Drake felt his body tense as he hoped and prayed that it wasn’t Meghan. He quickly yanked his hands out of Maxwell’s grip as Maxwell stood back up.  
“I take it that’s a no then.” Sienna giggled.  
“Hey Sienna. It’s not what it looks like, really.” Maxwell said, his face paling slightly.  
Sienna laughed. “Who am I to judge? You can marry Drake if you want to.” Sienna winked at Drake, a mischievous glint in her eye, that reminded him of Hana’s good humour.  
“I really don’t. No offence, Drake.”  
“None taken.” Drake chuckled.  
Sienna nudged Maxwell with her elbow. “I’m just messing with you, don’t look so panicked.”  
Maxwell visibly relaxed and laughed. “Ok, good. You had me worried there for a moment.”  
“Why would you be worried about what I think?”  
Maxwell opened his mouth to speak, but words failed him. Drake could see how Sienna’s light hearted teasing was messing with Maxwell’s brain. He’d never seen him so interested in someone before.  
Sienna laughed. “You’re cute, Maxwell.” She gave him a light push on the arm. “I’ll see you guys later.”  
As she turned to walk away, Drake called after her. “Sienna, wait.”  
She stopped and turned to look at him. “Don’t worry, Drake. I’m pretty sure I know what’s going on here. I won’t mention it to the others.”  
Drake nodded. “Thanks, Sienna.”  
She smiled before leaving the room.  
“So when are you going to pop the big question?” Maxwell asked once he knew Sienna would no longer be in hearing distance.  
Drake shuffled awkwardly. “I don’t know. I don’t want to steal anyone’s thunder.”  
“Meaning you don’t want to distract any attention away from Ryder and Hana’s big day.”  
Drake nodded.  
“As long as you don’t get down on one knee at the ceremony or reception, I’m pretty sure you’ll be safe. And maybe save any engagement parties until a few weeks after the wedding.”  
“Thanks Maxwell. You’ve been a great help. I really appreciate it.” Drake gave Maxwell a quick, slightly awkward hug and a pat on the back.  
“Anything to see Megs happy. If you need anything else, just let me know.” He smiled at Drake before leaving the dining room.

Drake spent the next couple of days pacing around the bedroom whenever Meghan was out, trying to plan the perfect proposal. He wasn’t sure if he could pull off perfect and he wasn’t entirely sure he even deserved to have Meghan as his girlfriend, let alone his fiancée and future wife.


	13. Chapter 13

On the eve of the wedding, Drake had managed to drag Meghan away from Hana and Sienna.  
“I hope this is important, Mr Walker. I really should be with Hana. Could you not wait to see me tomorrow, when we walk down the aisle together?” Meghan grinned.  
The thought of walking down the aisle with Meghan sent a tingle through Drake’s body, warming his heart as he imagined them doing so as husband and wife.  
Meghan noticed a flicker of a smile on Drake’s lips. She nudged him playfully with her elbow.  
“Don’t worry, Dawson. I’ll get you back to the girls before it gets too late. Just follow me.”  
He took her hand and guided her down a gravel path that was bordered with cherry blossom trees. It was a pleasant walk and didn’t feel very long, yet from their final destination, they couldn’t see any of the buildings in the grounds.  
“Here we are.” Drake said, spreading his arms out to show off the area.  
Meghan gasped. “Did you do this?”  
She stared at the beautiful rose garden in front of her, draped with fairy lights. In the middle was a small, round table for two people.  
“I might have had a little help from a certain Beaumont.” Drake pulled a chair out for Meghan. “Take a seat, m’lady.” He did a little bow as she sat down, making her giggle.  
He sat down opposite Meghan and picked up the bottle of champagne that sat in the middle of the table. He popped the cork and filled two glasses, handing one to Meghan and clinking his against it.  
“Are you ok, Drake?”  
He looked at her, puzzled. “I’m fine. Why?”  
“Oh, it’s just there’s no whiskey. I thought you were ill or something.” Meghan grinned.  
He rolled his eyes, but a grin crept on his lips. He reached into the inside pocket of his smart jacket and raised an eyebrow at her, before producing a hip flask.  
Meghan laughed. “Oh Drake, I do love you.”  
She reached across the table, putting her hand on his. He moved his hand so their fingers entwined. After they finished their champagne, Drake stood up.  
“Come with me. I want to show you something.”  
They walked down more of the gravel path and arrived at the edge of the garden, which overlooked a lake.  
“Drake, it’s beautiful. You can really be quite romantic when you put your mind to it.” Meghan nudged him playfully.  
“Maybe you make me want to be romantic.” He cringed inwardly at how cheesy his words sounded.  
Meghan giggled, knowing how his words would have made him feel.  
Drake turned to look at her and took her hands in his.  
“In all seriousness though, Dawson. Having you in my life has made me want to be a better person. I’ve had feelings for you for longer than I would care to admit, but when you turned down a life where you would want for nothing, I knew my love for you wasn’t wrong. We’ve been through a lot since we got together, but in that short space of time I’ve realised that I just want to spend the rest of my life making you happy. Dawson, you give me the strength to face anything life throws my way. I know that with you by my side, my life has a whole new meaning. Without you, I don’t know what I’d do. My life would be poorer. I’d be lost. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Meghan,” he paused. She caught her breath as he got down on one knee. “it would be the greatest honour if you would be my wife. Will you marry me?”  
For a moment Meghan just stared at him, speechless. She closed her eyes as tears threatened to fall.  
“Oh Drake. Of course I will marry you! I want nothing more than to be your wife.” She broke out into a big grin. “So yes. Yes, yes, yes! I love you, Drake.”  
“I love you too, Dawson.” He got up and wrapped his arms around her in a hug, lifting her off the ground and spinning her around.  
He put her down and dug around inside his pocket before producing a small, black velvet ring box. He carefully opened it, revealing a delicate white gold band. The central diamond had a small sapphire and diamond on either side of it.  
“Oh Drake, it’s perfect!”  
He took it from the box, gently slipping it on her finger.  
She held her hand out and stared at the ring, taking in it’s beauty, before throwing her arms around Drake’s neck and kissing him.

~ ~ ~

The following afternoon, everyone gathered for the wedding, along with the press and the Cordonian public.  
Hana looked stunning, as always. On the arm of her father, with a huge grin on her face and the sun shining around her, she looked picture perfect. Meghan felt so proud and happy for her friend.  
They heard the first notes of the organ inside the cathedral, giving them their cue. Sienna and Meghan each gave Hana a quick hug before making their way to Maxwell and Drake, who were waiting in the doorway.  
Drake broke out in a grin, giving Meghan a quick kiss.  
“You look beautiful.” He said, looking into her eyes.  
“Thank you. You don’t scrub up too badly yourself.” Meghan winked at him and he laughed.  
“Ready to help our friends have the best day of their lives?” He grinned.  
“Absolutely.” Meghan answered, linking her arm through his.  
“Did you tell Hana and Sienna about last night?” He leaned in to ask her quietly. She shook her head.  
“I think it will be better to wait a while, let Hana and Ryder enjoy their wedding. I’ve got the ring on, but I’m doing my best to keep it hidden.”  
“Good idea.” He leaned down, kissing her gently on the top of her head, before they began to follow Maxwell and Sienna down the aisle.

~ ~ ~

The ceremony was beautiful and it had been easy to forget that it was such a public event, being televised to the nation.  
Ryder’s brother, Leo, had surprised him by arriving that morning, taking his place as best man, although he was unable to stay for the reception.  
“Wow.” Leo mouthed at Ryder with a grin. Ryder chuckled and shook his head before turning his attention to the cathedral doors.  
Ryder’s face lit up completely as Hana walked towards him. Drake patted his shoulder and Meghan noticed happy tears brimming in Ryder’s eyes.  
As the ceremony went on and vows were exchanged, Sienna and Meghan both found themselves filling up, having to carefully wipe their eyes without ruining their make up. When Meghan glanced across the aisle at Drake, she noticed that he too had a tear in his eye.  
After the ceremony, they all filed out of the cathedral and congregated outside to have photographs taken.  
Meghan linked arms with Drake and looked up at him.  
“Did I see you getting a little emotional back there, Mr Walker?”  
“And what if I was?”  
“I just didn’t think you’d be the type to shed a tear at a wedding.”  
“For a start, Ryder’s my best friend. It’s nice watching him start the next chapter of his life.”  
Meghan eyed him sceptically. “I’m still not sure even that’s enough to make you tear up.”  
Drake shrugged. “You got me. To be honest, I didn’t think I’d get emotional at a wedding, but watching those vows got me thinking about how one day, hopefully not too far away, that will be us and the thought of you being my wife makes me happier that I ever thought I could be. I wake up every morning beside you, but one day I’ll be waking up next you, lucky enough to be calling you my wife.”  
“Oh Drake. I’m so glad I have you in my life. I love you.”  
“I love you too.” He leaned down and kissed her gently on the lips, her hands reaching up to his cheeks as she pulled him closer.

~ ~ ~

The reception was held privately, with only Ryder and Hana’s closest family and friends.  
During the meal, classical music played in the background, loud enough to hear, but low enough for people to still be able to hold conversations.  
The head table consisted of Ryder, Hana and both sets of parents.  
Drake and Meghan were seated at a table with Maxwell and Sienna. Another table seated the other noble women who had taken part in the social season. The guests were served Scottish smoked salmon mousse to start, followed by 10 hour slow roasted pork belly with apple compote and crackling and Cordonian Apple Pie with cream for dessert. Each table place had a wedding favour. Hana had chosen small models of a white rose stood in a layer of tiny crystals, encased in a glass dome, with their names and the date of the wedding intricately engraved on a small silver plaque.  
Drake made a speech in Leo’s place, telling tales from their youth, much to Ryder’s embarrassment, but Hana’s amusement.  
After the speeches had concluded, the party began.  
“This is what I’ve been waiting for!” Maxwell said excitedly.  
“Maxwell!”  
“What? You know I was born to dance, Megs.”  
Meghan shook her head and laughed. “To be fair, the party is the most fun part of a wedding.”  
Meghan, Drake, Maxwell and Sienna made their way from the dining room to the ballroom for the dancing.  
“It’s nice to be at a royal event that doesn’t involve fancy songs and dancing. I can deal with normal music.” Drake said.  
“All music is normal, Drake. But I do know what you mean. I like to be able to dance properly and let loose a little.”  
Maxwell danced straight onto the dance floor as disco classics started to thud through the speakers.  
Meghan laughed. “I guess we should join him!”  
Drake pulled a face as Meghan and Sienna danced their way over to Maxwell. With a sigh, he headed to the bar to grab a whiskey before joining them.  
A few more songs played before the DJ asked everyone to clear the floor for the bride and groom. As they took to the centre of the floor, La Valse de L’Amour from Cinderella began to play. Hana and Ryder waltzed around gracefully, making it look like the easiest dance in the world. They looked into each other’s eyes as if they were the only two people in the room. The bottom of Hana’s dress glided over the floor with every turn and twirl.  
Meghan smiled, her heart feeling warm and full of happiness for her friends.  
Drake leant down to Meghan. “I’ll settle for a normal slow dance.” He said only loud enough for her to hear.  
“Don’t worry, as fun as the waltz was to learn, it’s not ‘us’.”  
Drake grinned. “You mean we’re not posh enough to pull it off.”  
“I mean, we’re not the type to pretend we’re something that we’re not. Just because we live in a palace doesn’t mean we have to act like nobles.”  
“Which is one of the reasons I fell in love with you. This whole experience never changed you.”  
“It just led me to my soul mate.” Meghan smiled at Drake, kissing him on the cheek.  
He wrapped his arm around her, squeezing her to his side affectionately.  
Sienna watched Hana and Ryder with a tear in her eye and couldn’t help but clap and cheer when they finished dancing.  
The DJ then called for the bridesmaids and grooms men to join the wedded couple on the dance floor. Maxwell took Sienna’s hand, leading her onto the floor. Drake gave Meghan an unsure look before joining the rest of the group. He visibly relaxed when what he called a “normal” slow song began to play, instead of a waltz.  
Sienna felt comfortable dancing in Maxwell’s arms. It made her feel a warmth inside, and she hoped it wasn’t unrequited. As the song came to a close, she gave herself a mental pep talk.  
“Maxwell, do you think I could talk to you about something?“  
“Of course.” He smiled at her, leading her from the dance floor out onto one of the balconies.  
“What do you want to talk about?”  
Sienna took a deep breath.  
“I’ve liked you since I met you.” She blurted out, pacing back and forth as she spoke. “Hana and Meghan seem to think we’d make a cute couple, but I don’t know how you feel. I wanted to speak to you the other day when you were with Drake. I thought now would be as good a time as any to put it out there. I’m not expecting you to feel the same.”  
Maxwell reached out, touching her arm. She stopped pacing and turned to face him.  
He smiled at her. “Sienna, I’m really glad you told me. I really like you. When you first got here, being around you made me trip over my tongue, it’s like you had some weird effect over my brain. No one had ever made me feel like that before. I’m glad you were braver than me and said something.”  
Sienna smiled. “I’m glad too.”  
“I do need to ask, as much as I want to make a go of this, will you be leaving for home soon?”  
Sienna nodded sadly. “I wish I wasn’t.”  
“Then stay. There’s a room for you at Ramsford, there will always be a room for you here at the palace. You don’t have to decide now, but it can work.”  
Sienna nodded. “Ok, I’ll stay. I know it seems impulsive, but what I’ve found in you, I don’t want to leave it behind. I don’t want to leave you behind. I’m not missing this chance at happiness. So, if you’ll have me…” She trailed off.  
“Of course I’ll have you.”  
He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close, kissing her deeply. He pulled away and grinned at her.  
“Well, now I can tell you that you look wonderful tonight.”  
Sienna laughed. “You could have told me that anyway.”  
“But then you might have thought I fancied you. Which we’ve now confirmed I do, but I didn’t want you to think that if you didn’t like me back.”  
“Stop talking, Maxwell.” Sienna smiled as she kissed him.

Maxwell, Sienna, Meghan and a reluctant Drake kept the dance floor occupied for the rest of night, while Ryder and Hana mingled with their guests.


End file.
